Angels, Lovers and Songbirds

Chapter 01 – Reacquainting of an Angel

In the small but thriving English county of Downshire people go about the tasks of their everyday existence in ways that range from the mundane to the extraordinary as their forebears had done for centuries before, in the varied and diverse landscape, from the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, to the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and the short but beautiful coastline to the east.
But our story is set in and around Turnoak-Under-Hawthorne, a large rambling village, originally settled in the 12th century on the sparsely wooded slopes on the Northern fringe of the Finchbottom Vale about 5 miles from Purplemere, and it was everything you would expect from a Downshire Village.

Jack Morehouse moved to the village in the January of 2012 although in truth at that point he really only moved some of his stuff in, he didn’t start living there until much later.
Jack was 39 years old, pleasant looking, unmarried and was in reasonable physical shape and considered himself to be quite happy with his life, until that is, he moved to Turnoak.

After he graduated from Abbottsford University he started working for his Uncle Daniel who owned the Waterside Country Club on the banks of Purple Mere.
In fact the club was the brainchild of Daniel Morehouse and Jack’s father John.
But Jack’s father died while his son was at University so it was perfectly natural for him to take his father’s place in the business after graduation as he had been left his half.
The Waterside had become a popular entertainment venue and was one of the few remaining clubs where you could see top variety acts performing as well as offering dinner, cabaret and dinner dances.
For 18 years Jack worked under Daniels tutelage and then out of the blue Daniel had a massive heart attack and died, leaving Jack his half of the Club and his cottage in Turnoak along with the remainder of his estate after all the bequests, which was still quite substantial, although he didn’t know the half of it.
Uncle Daniel always referred to his Turnoak home as his cottage but in reality it was a row of 3 Victorian Cottages which had been converted into a 5 bedroom house.
He thought the house was too large for him really but he decided to defer any decision on what to do with it until the dust had settled.
His first priority was the club and to ensure that Uncle Daniels death didn’t impact on the smooth running of the business.
So that is why he didn’t take up residence in the village until much later.

But after the funeral he made an important decision, because his father and his Uncle had both died “in harness” so to speak, he resolved that he wasn’t going to go the same way.
Although he was only 39 he thought it best if he adopted an overseeing role.
So to that end he brought in two new people to fill his shoes, James Lynch and Jacey Linton.
They were both of a similar age to Jack and he had known them both from his University days when they all worked together putting on shows at the Students Union.
James had worked at Maplin’s Holiday Resort in Sharpinghead since he graduated and had been the Entertainments Director for ten years and Jack thought he was going to have a real battle on his hands to lure him away.
After all he had security with Maplin’s, and a bigger salary than he could offer, but James almost snatched his hand off.
“Not that I’m not pleased” He said “But that was very easy”
“I was bored” James replied

Jacey on the other hand he thought would jump at the offer because he was working for a man who treated him like dirt, but over an eight year period he had eroded all of his self-confidence, belittled him at every turn and wiped away every ounce of his self-worth, so when Jack offered him a job he turned it down immediately stating it was beyond his capabilities.
It took him and James a month to finally convince him that he was capable enough for the job and wholly suitable to be manager of his Club.

So eventually he got his team, James was manager of all things entertainment and Jacey was responsible for the rest, staff, facilities, stock and over the two of them was Jack, who as he saw the other two take everything in hand, reduced his time at the club exponentially.
Which then allowed him to think about the house in Turnoak,

But having inherited the house in January it was July before he moved in and began sorting it out and it needed a lot of sorting.
So for the first three weeks he never stopped, however by the afternoon of his third Sunday he was getting a bit stir crazy so despite some inclement weather he set off for a walk around the village and after about twenty minutes there was a break in the weather and the sun actually put in an appearance so he decided to take a longer stroll around the village.
He felt the sun on his face for the first time in days and he thought it would be nice to see another human being as he walked briskly down the path before turning left and as he carried on down the road he met the odd fellow traveller and exchanged good afternoons or nods.
Around the next corner he passed the corner shop where a young woman was serving a customer with fruit and veg, she smiled and he smiled back and he pressed on past the shop and picked up the walking pace as the skies darkened, so he rushed homeward walking headlong round a corner and met someone else coming the other way and they both ended up on their backsides.
“I’m so sorry” he said getting quickly to his feet and proffering a hand to the prostrate figure of a woman, which she took.
“Nonsense” she replied, “I wasn’t looking where I was going my mind was elsewhere”.
“Mine too” he said “are you ok? Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride” she replied as they dusted themselves off and then they looked at each other for the first time and he realized he had poleaxed a vicar and then he studied the face.
“Katie?” he said “Katie Watson?”
And there was a brief moment of puzzlement on the Vicars face and then recognition spread across her face.
“Jack Morehouse” Katie exclaimed “As I live and breathe”
And they hugged for the first time in 16 years.
They had dated briefly during their first year at University but they soon knew in their heart of heart that they were not destined to be a couple, their destiny was as very good friends and no more.
And they remained friends right up until graduation when she went to theological college and then they lost touch.
“What are you doing here?” she asked
“I’ve just moved here” he replied
“Where?”
“White Rose Cottage” Jack said
“Daniels House?” she asked
“Yes he was my Uncle” he replied
“I knew he was a Morehouse but the thought never occurred to me that he was related to you” Katie said “There’s no resemblance”
“No there isn’t” he agreed “We were very close though, and he left me the house”
“That’s brilliant” Katie said “We’ll have to catch up soon, but I have to get going, duties to perform”
“Are you the Vicar in Turnoak?”
“Yes” she replied “and I need to get ready for evensong”
“Well pop round anytime” he said “I’m only working in the house”
“Ok” she said and they parted company with a kiss and a hug.

Before he got home the rain came again and he was relieved to reach his front door and after a change of clothes and a hot drink he returned to his chores.
The unseasonal weather continued over the following few days but by Friday it had finally cleared up and according to the met office and their Super Computer the Vale were in for a prolonged spell of warm, dry days right through to September, a proper Indian summer.
Not that Jack was holding his breath, he had little faith that they could manage to predict the weather for 6 weeks hence when they struggle to forecast with any certainty what will happen that afternoon.

Chapter 02 – Fortifying an Angel

By August, Jack had settled into the routine of working at the Club for three days a week and working in the house for four.
But he had also had to have some tasks performed by professionals i.e. a Plumber.
And while he was in the house installing a new boiler Jack decided to escape bedlam and step out in the warm summer sun and clear his head but he hadn’t gone more than two hundred yards when, despite the met office predictions, it started to rain so he was had a choice to make, return to bedlam or go to the pub.
So after at least 30 seconds of deliberation he headed into the village and the Hen and Chickens instead where he chanced upon Reverend Watson on route.
Despite the fact that his willowy ex-girlfriend was nearly forty
Jack thought that Katie was still an attractive woman by any measure, with the same warm open manner she had always possessed, intelligent green laughing eyes, shoulder length brunette hair and a broad toothy smile which gave her an altogether pleasant demeanour.
“Good afternoon Katie” he said
“Hello Jack” she replied “What’s brought you out into the rain”
“I’m avoiding the plumber,” he said and Katie gave an understanding nod
“And you?”
“The Miss Barlow’s” she replied “it’s their day to clean the church”
“They’re so bossy” she added and bowed her head with shame.
“I think we need to be fortified,” Jack said
“Hen and Chicks?” she suggested
“Yes, if you can spare the time” he said “We can do the catch up we talked about”
“I am actually completely up to date, Sundays sermon is written and I only have one meeting before then and that’s with a prospective bride and groom” she explained “so I’m all yours”

When they got into the pub they found it virtually empty, the lunch timers had obviously gone back to work and the unexpected rain had kept the afternooner’s in their homes.
So they got their drinks and sat at the table by the window where they could watch the world go by as they caught up.

The catch up began with him detailing his constant lack of peace and quiet in the house while he was having tradesmen in, while she talked about certain sections of the congregation who had still not really accepted her despite her being the Vicar of St Lucy of Syracuse for almost two years.

They then moved on to the sixteen years that had elapsed since they left University.
People they both knew, holidays and travel, marital status, professional and vocational history.
And the conclusion they reached was that they were both contentedly single and happy in their work.

The fact that Katie struggled to comprehend from their conversation was Jacks depth of faith and his leading a pastorate group at St John’s in Purplemere.
Because despite the fact he was raised as a Christian by practising Christian parents who were and indeed still were active in their church right up until their deaths, he had never been a particularly spiritual person when he first went to University.
He did however believe in a power greater than himself and he was not uncomfortable calling that power God
The church however had always been a different matter and he had always been dismissive about those interfering Christian do-gooders, doing good works and muttering on about their relationship with God.
He had never had a relationship with God other than the fact that he knew God existed and God knew that he existed and he had been content to leave it at that.
Jack had not been a regular visitor to his house since he was sixteen when he was given the option to follow his own path; his parents thought optimistically he would choose to continue on the path they had led him along all his life but they were disappointed.
So his interactions with the church were restricted to hatches matches and dispatches and the odd Christmas carol service, that was of course until he went to University and he met Katie.
It was his love of Katie which prompted him to attend St Hilda’s Church in Abbottsford during his first semester and that first visit reawakened something in him and every Sunday he would find himself standing next to Katie at St Hilda’s yodelling out “how great thou art” and even after they broke up he continued attending.

After the third drink Katie became a little indiscrete and revealed some unsavoury gossip about some of her parishioners and he was able to relate a few choice nuggets that she didn’t know, courtesy of his plumber.
Katie then proceeded to reveal more and more about herself and the community with every drink, but the more she drank the more she tended to ramble, she spoke a lot about time and the sand running through her fingers and choices and not knowing.
Jack couldn’t really follow her train of thought but the drink wasn’t helping either of them and as neither of them had eaten since breakfast the beer took its toll very quickly and after two hours of catching up they were fortified as newts and he had to steer her through the pouring rain to the vicarage, which thankfully was just across the road.

Once they reached her front door he had to wedge her up against the wall while he opened the door, unfortunately as the door swung open she fell through it into the hall.
Jack instinctively reached out and grabbed her in an effort to prevent her from hurting herself.
Unfortunately in trying to avoid grabbing anything intimate he only succeeded in falling to the floor a second before she did, Jack landed on his back and Katie landed on top of him.
“You know it’s been great seeing my old boyfriend again” she slurred before planting an almost Labrador like kiss on his mouth.
“But let’s remember something” he said after extricating himself from her embrace “You’re the Vicar, and you’re not my girlfriend anymore”
Then he struggled to his feet and helped Katie to do the same before steering her through the hall and into her sitting room.
“You always were a gentleman” she said as he plopped her into an armchair “That was when you loved me of course”
Then she grabbed him by the lapels and planted another kiss on his mouth, much more controlled and unhurried this time and when he began to reciprocate he broke away from her embrace again.
“I still love you” he admitted “but like a sister”
“Oh God I just snogged my brother” she said and put her head in her hands
“I love you Vicar” he said and kissed her on the forehead and left.

It wasn’t easy for him to walk away, the Reverend ticked a lot of boxes for him it had to be said, she always had done, but he knew that romantic love between them was never going to transpire, they knew that when they were still students, but he was very pleased to have found her again.

The next day when he was pottering about the house the phone rang so he stopped what he was doing and answered it
“Jack?” asked a woman’s voice
“Yes that’s me” he replied
“It’s Katie” she said “Katie Watson”
“Hello Vicar” he said, preferring to think of her as the Vicar rather than as a woman with whom he had a drunken snog
“I’m sorry” she said
“What for?”
“Me” she replied “getting drunk and kissing you”
“There’s nothing to forgive you for” he said
“Good, in that case I don’t feel guilty for asking a favour” she said with a chuckle
“What can I do for you?” he asked suspiciously
“I know that you’re still involved with St Johns, but you live here now, in my parish and so you’re one of ours so I know its short notice but...” she hesitated
“I can’t answer if you don’t ask”
“Would you mind taking your Uncle Daniels place on the church committee,” She asked, “we are fast approaching the harvest festival and well…”
“Of course, when do you need me?”
“Ten minutes” she said hopefully
“Oh ok” he said, “I’ll leave now”
So he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

Chapter 03 – Introduction to a Songbird

As he approached the village hall he saw Katie and her verger Sarah Peters walking through the gate from the church and Katie waved and then spoke to another member of the committee who had followed Jack down the road.
Sarah went straight inside and Katie waited by the door.
“Hello you two” she called which was the first time Jack realized he wasn’t alone
“Jack this is Kayleigh Robinson, she’s also on the committee and she’s your next door neighbour” she said “Kayleigh this is Jack Morehouse”
Jack turned to look at the woman he had been introduced to and he couldn’t believe his eyes
She was tall and slim with jet black hair and was very striking to look at but it wasn’t her looks that shocked him
“It’s Kayleigh Parkes” he said
“Shhh!” she exclaimed “Nobody knows me here by that name”
With that said she went straight inside
Kayleigh Parkes was a beautiful young singer from the early 1990’s who had a massive hit with a song called “Twilights love” and a platinum selling album of the same name and everyone expected her to follow it up with more of the same but a second album never materialized, No one knew why and it appeared that she had put that part of her life behind her.

The Church committee meeting lasted just over an hour; it was really just to introduce him to everyone followed by a reallocation of responsibilities.
But for Jack, by far the most interesting thing about the meeting was seeing Kayleigh Parkes.
“Twilights love” was one of his all-time favourite albums, he had it on Vinyl, CD and as an MP3, he even had it on cassette at one time but he wore it out because he played it so much.
But apart from the fact that he loved her voice and her one and only album he also thought she was absolutely lovely, and she lived next door to him.

However, despite the fact they were neighbours and they sat on the same committee and both attended St Lucy's he didn’t see her to talk to for about three weeks and was sure that she was avoiding him because he knew her secret.
He decided he wouldn’t force the issue and wait for her to thaw, and get used to him being there.
That thaw transpired after Jack had spoken to Katie about her, although in truth it was Katie who initiated the conversation because she thought they would be good together, the only fly in the ointment was the fact that she was married.
The thawing came about as a result of Katie walking up to White Rose Cottage one afternoon and knocking on the door.
“Hello” she said when the door opened “I’ve come for coffee”
“Well you’d better come in then” he retorted assuming he had forgotten a prior arrangement, not that it mattered he was always pleased to see her.

They sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee when she asked,
“So how are you finding the committee?”
“Yes its good, although I think I rather put my foot in it with Kayleigh” he replied “And I don’t know quite how to rectify it”
“She doesn’t like being reminded of that time” Katie said
“But why?”
“Because of what happened to her husband” she said and went on to explain that Kayleigh Parkes married her childhood sweetheart Carl Robinson when she was young and everything in her world was perfect.
He was her musical direct, producer and agent at the time and her music career was really taking off, she had a number one single “Twilights love”, a platinum album of the same name was followed by a huge sell out British and European tour.
In her private life she was very happy and loved her husband very much.
But that happiness was all too brief and evaporated away when her husband Carl was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely, physically and mentally disabled and in need of perpetual care.
It happened 12 weeks after the European Tour ended after which they went to Monserrat for an extended holiday where Kayleigh could work on the new songs for her second album which they had just finished recording at the famous AIR Montserrat studios when the accident happened.
Carl had spent the day in Plymouth, the islands capital, and he was driving back to their villa that night when the jeep he was driving left the road and hit a tree.
Kayleigh had stayed at the villa all day relaxing and had just finished dinner when the police knocked on the door.
His injuries were very severe but he was taken to St John’s Hospital where he was treated and stabilized before being medevac’d back to the UK on an RAF Hercules.
The accident went largely unreported as the first Gulf War had begun the day before and that was all that anyone seemed interested in, which suited Kayleigh, she was distressed enough by the bottom falling out of her world without having to do it in the full glare of the media so she quietly slipped out of the public eye.
“So where is he now?” he asked
“Plaxton Park” she replied “in Hawthorne, that’s why she moved to Turnoak, so she could be close by”
Hawthorne was a small hamlet in the hills about two miles from Turnoak.
“Is it a hospital?” he asked
“Yes and no, it’s really a Hospice and perpetual care facility” Katie replied
“Oh great so I put my size 11 right in it” he said “picking the scab off the wound”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it” Katie said “it’s what she needs, she needs to talk about it”
“But it must be torment for her” Jack said
“Nonetheless she needs to do it” Katie said firmly and then gave him a look
“Oh no, I can’t do it” he said “And besides she’s not even talking to me”
“You’ll find a way” Katie said and drained her cup
“But…” he protested but Katie disarmed him by kissing his forehead
“Oh and I need a favour” she said
“What another one?”
“Don’t be lippy” she said and punched his arm playfully
“Ok what do you need?”
“Colin Bates has dislocated his shoulder and can’t pick up the parish magazines from the printer this week” she said “The Printed Word in Purplemere”
“Ok no problem I know where they are” Jack said “And what do you want me to do with them when I have them?”
“Just bring them back here and I’ll let everyone know and they can pick them up from you”
“Ok”
“Thank you, you are a life saver” Katie said and handed him a folded sheet of A4 paper “This is a list of who has what”
As soon as she handed him the list she made a dash for the front door and Jack unfolded the page and at the top of the list of names was Kayleigh Robinson.
“You sneak” he shouted after her and Katie laughed loudly and said
“Bye Jack” Just before she closed the door.

On the following Friday morning Jack was having breakfast when the phone rang and it was the Vicar to remind him that the parish magazines were ready for collection
“No I hadn’t forgotten Katie” he replied “I was just on my way out the door”
“Oh that’s great Jack” she said with real relief in her voice “ok I’ll talk to you later then”

When he had collected the magazines and had unloaded them into the house he phoned Katie to let her know and then as per Katie’s list he sorted them into piles on the kitchen table and for the rest of the day he had a constant stream of people knocking at his door until there was only one pile left and they were for Kayleigh and there was a two hour lapse before she knocked lightly on his door.
“Oh hello” he said
“Katie said you have the parish magazines” she said quietly
“I do indeed” he said “Come in”
“Thanks”
“Listen I’m sorry for the Kayleigh Parkes thing” he said not wanting the awkwardness of avoiding the elephant in the room “I didn’t know you were incognito”
“It isn’t quite like that” she remarked
“I know Katie told me” he said “So your secret is safe with me”
“That’s great” she exclaimed like she had just shed a great weight from her shoulders “now please call me Kay, I try to ignore the aging popstar thing”
And she laughed a rather delightful laugh and seeing her visibly relax he asked
“Would you like a drink I’ve just opened a bottle?”
“That would be lovely” she replied and sat down at the table which was when he noticed she still wore her wedding ring, he wouldn’t under normal circumstances entertain a married woman in his home, he had a strict rule about that kind of thing but he thought there was nothing wrong with having a drink with a beautiful woman and indulging in some polite conversation especially as he was under orders from the Vicarage.
So over a drink or three he explained how he ended up living in White Rose Cottage and she told him about her life in the village.
He also discovered that she didn’t get out and socialize much due to her husband’s illness, and the fact that she was on her own and felt a little awkward going to things on her own.
“Katie says you own a night club” Kayleigh stated.
“The Waterside in Purplemere”
“Really? I pictured something altogether seedier” she said and laughed
“Charming” Jack said and laughed along with her.
“Listen I have an idea, I am in the same boat as you in a way, I’m on my own and I keep getting invited to things, but I end up not going unless I can find a plus one because believe it or not I don’t feel comfortable being on my own and I don’t find it easy to talk to strangers”
“I know exactly what you mean” she said “So what’s your idea?”
“Plus ones” he said
“Aren’t they golfing trousers” she asked and giggled
“Wrong number” he said and raised his eyebrows “we could be the others plus one”
“Ok, deal” Kayleigh said and then looked at her watch “oh goodness I need to go”

Jack was very pleased to have settled things with Kay and especially with the fact that he was going to be seeing more of her and immediately phoned the Vicarage to update Katie.
“Am I good or am I good” she said
“You are devious is what you are Reverend” he retorted

Chapter 04 – Plus Ones and Hug Buddies

So over the following four or five weeks he and Kayleigh went on a number of events, she accompanied him to an anniversary dinner at the Worsted Viper Hotel in Purplemere and he went with her to a Christening in Finchbottom followed by a birthday party in Clarence and they were very happy with the arrangement.
And by the middle of October Jack was contemplating a fourth engagement for dinner with Jacey and James from the club and partners.
He was running through his mind their last outing and was really looking forward to going out with her again and then his train of thought was broken by the telephone ringing and cursed under his breath for the interruption before he answered it.
“Hello” he said flatly
“Hello Jack, it’s Katie” said the vicar
“Katie Watson”
“Hello Katie, Katie Watson” he said in a lighter frame of mind and after a brief chuckle she continued
“The reason for the call, I’m having an informal dinner party at the vicarage, well when I say dinner party I mean a takeaway curry, I can’t cook to save my life” she paused briefly “so if you’re free tonight, it’s just beer, curry and board games and you know most of the others”
He wasn’t sure it was his kind of thing and was about to refuse until she mentioned
“Kayleigh has already confirmed”
“Love to Katie” he said, “Should I bring anything?”
“Only if you can drink it,” she replied, “come about eight, bye”
He put the phone down and tried to pick up the thread of his recollections when there was a knock on the door.
“What now?” he snapped and went to the door and when he opened it all his anger melted away when he found Kayleigh standing there.
“Hi” he said “Come in”
“I can’t stop I’m afraid I’m off to see Carl” she replied “I just wanted to check if Katie had phoned you at all”
“About tonight?” he asked
“Yes” she said visibly relieved then she added “Are you going?”
“I am”
“Oh good perhaps we could walk down together” She suggested coyly
“I’d like that” Jack replied with a smile

He was ready and eagerly awaiting her arrival when she knocked lightly on the door at 7.45 and they ambled their way to the Vicarage chatting and laughing all the way and arrived at the Vicarage, bang on 8 o’clock and was surprised to be told that was the time, because they had manged to make a five minute walk last for 15.
“Come in” the Vicar said and handed them menus “we’ve all chosen”
“Really? You’re keen” he said feeling positively tardy.
Katie had said that he knew almost everyone and she was not wrong.
Sarah Peters her trusted verger, Kate Rawson and Toni Patrick from the church committee, David Pitt the Landlord of the Hen and Chickens and his wife Carol, Church warden Tony Vassell, organist Ian Riley and his Niece Elise, Len and Anita Compson from the corner shop and his companion the lovely Kayleigh Robinson.
It was a mixed bunch of the Godly and the heathen the old and the young, the sublime and the ridiculous.
They had an excellent curry and a liberal quantity of beer and wine was consumed, apart from Toni Patrick who was on call should her sister go into labour and as the evening wore on the monopoly board appeared to universal acclaim.
Sadly after about an hour Toni had to leave to attend on her sister and she took her friend with her.
Then just after midnight the Publican’s called it a night as did the Riley’s.
The next time Jack looked at the clock he saw it was 2 o’clock.
“Have you seen the time Vicar?” he said “don’t you have work in the morning?”
“Ah yes” she slurred and took a drink most of which went down her chin
“Bugger” she added wiping her mouth on her sleeve “and we haven’t finished the game”
“Home time” Kayleigh said so they all said goodnight to the vicar and the other guests and took Kayleigh’s arm and guided her homeward.
They had both had a reasonable amount to drink but Kayleigh more so and she was very chatty and very giggly in equal measure.
So raucous laughter accompanied them as they shuffled along and when they reached White Rose Cottage Kayleigh announced
“This is you, you’re home”
She only lived next door but the code of chivalry dictated what he must do.
“I will see you to your door dear lady” he said attempting a bow
“You are too kind Sir Knight” she responded trying to curtsy.
So he walked Kayleigh rather unsteadily to her front door and once she had managed to finally get her key in the lock and open the door she announced.
“Nightcap” and before he had chance to decline Kayleigh dragged him into the house where after some intense negotiations it was decided that coffee was the order of the day.
The house was very nice, very tastefully decorated, and much more contemporary than his own.

Kayleigh had kicked of her shoes and was sitting on the sofa with her legs up and he was facing her, also shoeless, sat on a large round footstool that he had pulled out from against the wall.
So they sat there in her sitting room drinking copious amounts of coffee and chatting, and during the course of the conversation she elaborated a little further about her husband’s condition and how she had to deal with his perpetual care.
She gave him details about the seriousness of the car crash and the severity of his physical and mental injuries.
She tried to tell him more but tears started to well up in her eyes and then they ran down her cheeks as she sobbed.
So Mr. Chivalry stepped into action again and knelt on the floor beside her and offered himself up to comfort her with arms open wide “I’m sorry” she said gratefully accepting his open embrace and burying her tearstained face in his neck.
Jack made encouraging noises and stroked her back but being a shoulder to cry on was really the full extent of his expertise and they held that position for some time until Kayleigh’s sobs began to get shallower and shallower and eventually abated altogether.
But she still held on to him tightly and began to nuzzle his neck and he could feel her breath on his skin, and then Kayleigh’s nuzzles turned to kisses.
Jack’s mind was in turmoil, he desperately liked her and he had often imagined holding her passionately in his arms, but he was sober enough to remember that she was married, and that she would not be doing what she was doing if she wasn’t more than a little drunk but before he could push her away her mouth was on his and her lips were so soft he instantly reciprocated.
It was only when Kayleigh’s hands began to claw at his shirt, dragging it free of his waistband with great urgency that his chivalry resurfaced and he called a halt.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea”
“I do” she said and tried to reengage
“Yes but you’ll feel differently in the morning” he said
“I don’t understand I thought you liked me” she said
“I do like you, and I want to keep kissing you too” he said “but you have to want to do it in the cold light of day”
“Then you had better go” she snapped and looked away until he had gone.

When he got home he sat in the dark musing on whether or not he had done the right thing, well he knew it was the right thing, but had he handled it correctly, that was what was playing on his mind.
It was exceptionally late when he got to his bed, but he had a fitful sleep, however after a shower, two mugs of coffee and some toast he felt a lot better.
Over the weeks that they had been each other’s “plus one” they had fallen into the habit of walking down to St Lucy’s Church together for the Sunday service but that Sunday he wasn’t at all sure he would be welcome to accompany her after what happened the previous evening. But he resolved that he should at least try even if his attempt was to fail, so he left the house at about 9.30 as he didn’t have to walk far, as he was only going next door to Kayleigh’s and then he took a deep breath and rang the doorbell and after a few moments the door slowly opened.
“Hi Kay” he said “are you ready?
“Yes Jack” she replied “but I need to talk to you first”
Kayleigh stepped backwards and Jack stepped in and as soon as the door closed she hugged him so tightly
“I’m so sorry” she said “You were right”
“That’s ok”
“I feel so ashamed” she added “and if you hadn’t been such a gentleman…”
“Well don’t make me out to be a martyr” Jack said “I still wanted to”
“But you were strong and I was weak” she went on “it’s just been so long since I felt the touch of a man”
“How long?”
“A lot of years” she replied
“What ever since Carl’s accident?” Jack asked
“Yes”
“Well I am always available for a hug” he said “Anytime you need one, I can be your “Hug Buddy”“
“That’s good to know” she said squeezing him tightly “You give great hugs”

Chapter 05 – Lovebird

After she had taken full advantage of her hug buddy she kissed his cheek and they headed towards the Church and when they stepped out into the lane she thanked him again for his chivalry.
“You don’t have to thank me” he said “and you can do better than me anyway”
“I doubt that” she replied and slipped her arm through his as they crossed the road and then a voice called to them
“Wait for me”
They stopped on the safety of the footpath and looked back to see Elise Riley hurrying after them, she lived further along the lane with her Uncle Ian.
She was a smiley cheerful person in her mid-thirties who was born and bred in the village but spent five years living in Purplemere and moved back to the village after her divorce.
“Hello you two” she said, “are you going to Lucy’s?”
Elise always refereed to the church as Lucy’s rather than St Lucy’s; she had done it ever since she was a small child.
“Yes” they said in unison which was when she noticed Kayleigh’s arm through his and gave Jack an enquiring look.
“I have a spare arm,” he offered
“Well that’s ok then” she said and quickly took his arm and as they cordially strolled, arm in arm towards the church they did elicit the occasional sideways glance
“You do know that you two will be the talk of the village?” he said and they both looked at him a little old fashioned
“You’ll be the two jezebels hanging off the arms of the night club owner”
Jack said and they all laughed and they were still laughing as they reached the door of the church and the Reverend Watson was at the door as they approached, doing the meet and greet.
“Aren’t you worried about your reputation?” she called
“No I have broad shoulders Vicar” he replied
“Not you, you are tarnished beyond all hope”, she said smiling
“I was speaking to your companions”
“That’s most unfair Vicar and only goes to show how misunderstood I am,” Jack said feigning injury
“I have merely made it my mission in life to save fallen women, and I’m saving these two for later”
The Vicar laughed, Kayleigh punched him on the arm and Elise blushed and then they went inside.
It was a good service, short on sermonizing and long on rejoicing, and as usual the mix of hymns was a balance of the old and traditional with a sprinkling of the modern and the happy clappy.
Katie Watson always kept the sermon short and sweet and never ever over egged the pudding as a result the congregants always left St Lucy’s feeling invigorated and refreshed, that day was no exception.

There was always a coffee and mingle at the end, where those who wanted to, could chat and catch up with members of the congregation. Jack was still with Elise and Kayleigh and did the rounds amidst the congregants and then they said their goodbyes, however if the truth be told Jack could have gone around again as he was in the mood to socialize.
So as Kayleigh, Elise and Jack were leaving he said
“Do you two need to rush off?”
“I don’t have any plans” Elise replied
“No nor me” said Kayleigh
“How about lunch then? At the Hen and Chicks?” he suggested “my treat”
“I’m on” chirped Elise
“Me too” Kay said brightly just at the moment when they arrived at the door, where the Vicar was seeing the faithful out the door
“What's he up to now?” she said to his companions
“Lunch” said Elise
“Why don’t you join us?” he added “At the Hen and Chicks”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in English but had to translate it into German before she could answer.
“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though”
“No problem” Jack said and the three of them made their way through the village to the pub.
They had a very pleasant lunch and the Vicar was an absolute delight, very down to earth and very witty and was on very good form, reminiscent of the University days she and Jack shared.
To the casual observer you would probably have pencilled the Vicar in as a sherry drinker and they would have been shocked to the core to see Reverend Watson drinking pints of Guinness.
Elise was shocked because she had never been to the pub with Katie before and when Katie noticed the look on Elise’s face she said
“They don’t do it in half’s”
Elise nodded understandingly in response, and then the penny dropped and she laughed out loud.
In fact it was a lunchtime full of laughter and at one point she looked across at Kayleigh laughing so hard that tears were running down her cheeks and she whispered in Jacks ear
“You got her to thaw then”
“Very much so” he replied but Katie didn’t know the half of it.
At the end of an excellent lunch Katie reluctantly declined a third pint of the black stuff stating that she had to prepare for the evening service.
Elise also took her leave as she had a prior commitment that afternoon so Kayleigh and Jack stayed for one more and walked out into the pleasant afternoon sunshine of an October Sunday.

Jack had very much enjoyed their lunch and was in no hurry for it to end so he suggested
“Coffee?”
“Oh yes please” she replied because she too was reluctant to lose his company.
So they had coffee sat on the sofa and began watching an old movie on BBC2, but about half an hour into it she yawned and rested her head on his shoulder and half an hour later she was still sleeping and ten minutes after that, courtesy of the late night and a boozy lunch Jack fell asleep in front of the TV as well only waking when Kayleigh kissed his cheek.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you”
“That’s ok, it’s a lovely way to be woken up” he said and she blushed
“I have to go and see Carl” she explained
“See you later?” he asked hopefully
“Only if you can put up with me again” she said “And you’re not getting fed up of me”
“Never” Jack said and she smiled “I’ll make us some supper”

Over the following week they saw each other every day, even if it was only for an hour or two, in between her visits to Plaxton Park and his time at the Waterside club.
But he was up early on Sunday morning because he was eager to spend as much of the day with Kayleigh as possible, so after calling for her they walked down to the church and met up with Elise outside St Lucy’s and was surprised to find that once inside the Reverend Watson was conspicuous by her absence.
A replacement Priest, in the form of a middle aged bespectacled buffoon by the name of Laurence Blake, who was a locum Vicar from Purplemere, who sermonized at length and the dullness of which was only made worse only by its lack of brevity.
After the service, rumour’s abounded about the Vicars absence, Jack was at a loss to explain it as he had seen her only two days before and everything seemed fine.
Some spoke of an accident, but no details were forthcoming although hospital was mentioned a lot.
A death in the family was a popular candidate, as was a parishioner with cancer, a sick child, a crisis of faith.
The truth was in there somewhere but if anyone really knew they kept it well hidden.

After they thanked the Vicar “for a marvellous sermon” and said all their goodbyes Jack and Kayleigh walked the short distance to the Hen and Chicks and had one of Carol Pitts marvellous Sunday lunches, where further rumours circulated, the general tone of which was sympathetic to the Vicar rather than derogatory, that couldn’t be a good sign Jack thought.
Afterwards he settled the bill and they both agreed that they were so stuffed full that a constitutional was necessary to walk it off.
It was a pleasant enough afternoon for it, very sunny but with a chill wind, so they opted for the Ryden’s Forest which would give them the benefit of the sun but shield them from the wind.

They walked the woodland for over an hour and when they reached a cross roads, they looked at each other and agreed they had had enough exercise and they took the route that led back to his Cottage where there was a warm room with a comfy sofa in it.

After spending another Sunday together they didn’t see very much of each other at all for the next two weeks because he was having to spend almost all of his time at the club, partly because of Halloween and in part because Jacey was on holiday for a week to attend his Brother’s wedding in New Zealand.
But on his return to Turnoak on the Friday night his first port of call was next door to Kayleigh’s House.
When the door opened in response to his knock he looked at her lovely face and she smiled him a beaming smile and then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
“I’ve missed you so much” she said
“And I’ve missed you too” he admitted and then she released her grip on him and pulled him across the threshold and closed the door behind him.
“I’ve been thinking about us a lot while you’ve been away” she said
“So have I” he concurred
“And I have thought long and hard in the cold light of day about it and as I’m stone cold sober and you’re here and I’ve missed you and you’ve missed me I want to do this again” she said and kissed him
It was a long, slow, passionate kiss which, had they not already have been on fire for each other, would definitely have lit their boilers.

A line was crossed that night, a line they had been hesitant to cross and one which they had not traversed lightly, but it was one they had wanted to cross for some time.
They made love that night for the first time and spent much of the following day in much the same vein and once the genie was out of the bottle neither of them were of the mind to put it back.
But for the sake of propriety they had decided that they would keep the true nature of their affair to themselves and continue to present the platonic relationship of friendship to the wider world and conduct their intimate affair in secret.

Chapter 06 – The White Rose Cottage Hospital

In the wee small hours of Sunday morning Jack returned to his Cottage in order that he could emerge as normal and call for Kayleigh so they could walk to St Lucy’s as usual.

Well it was a bright sunny morning outside St Lucy’s church where the villagers were thronging around the war memorial, as the Remembrance Day parade, representatives of all the services, a proud bunch of Old soldiers, all arms of the scouting fraternity, local dignitaries et al, all came to a halt.

Jack thought it was nice to see the Vicar had returned, looking a little pale and drawn, but nonetheless back in harness.
“A family crisis” was the reason, circulating the village, for her absence the week before.
He felt there was more to it than that but it was good to see her back regardless.
It was a good service, vintage Katie, and then the village duly paid its tribute to the fallen in the time-honoured fashion.
Jack always felt a little humbled afterwards, honouring those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, and if they had known the outcome, their actions would not have differed.
Jack often wondered if the modern generation would be so resolute faced with the same challenges, he thought it doubtful.
Afterwards Jack and Kayleigh preferred to spend the rest of the day in each other’s company so declined the invitation for lunch at the pub and headed to the cottage and an afternoon of canoodling.

Although they had made a significant breakthrough in their relationship the following two weeks did not go at all smoothly.
Firstly he received a letter from Curtis, Mitchel and Lovegood, the Morehouse family solicitors.
It wasn’t of any significance to receive a letter from them after all there had been a steady stream of correspondence following his Uncles death so he suspected it would be more of the same, so when he opened it he was entirely unprepared for its contents.
The first part was fairly straight forward and was in the form of a request to go to the office to sign some papers but as he read on it detailed the new worth of the his Uncles estate and when he read the number he thought it must be a typo so he phoned Curtis, Mitchel and Lovegood and made an appointment for that morning.
When he got there he was shown straight in to see his Solicitor Christine Prunot who was five foot two and on the skinny side of slim with dark flowing hair, brown eyes, olive skin and a beautiful smile.
She had a full day of appointments but when you had a client as rich as Jack Morehouse now was, she felt she had to make space for him.
Although Jack would have been horrified if he had known he had caused such a kerfuffle.
After he had been settled in her office with a coffee she said nervously
“So how can I help?”
“I received this letter this morning” he said and lay it on the desk from where Christine picked it up and read it and when she had finished she nodded, and said
“Yes, that’s all in order”
“But the amount” he said “That has to be a typo, either there are too many numbers or the decimal point is in the wrong place”
Christine looked at the number again and then opened his account on her laptop and then declared
“No that’s definitely correct” she assured him
“But, it’s so much”
“It is” she agreed and opened a folder on her desk and added
“I have a few documents requiring your signature while you’re here”
“Sure” he said
“And of course we will need you to instruct us what you want to do with the legacy” she said “Any thoughts?”
“Not a one” Jack said “I have absolutely no idea what to do with it”

After he left the Solicitors he returned to his car and sat behind the wheel in a daze, he couldn’t get his head around the fact that he was now worth that amount of money, he had no idea that his Uncle had amassed such a fortune.
Since his Uncles death his life had changed and with the cottage in Turnoak and his income from the club he was able to live very comfortably in his semi-retirement, but he had just found out his Uncle was seriously rich and now by extension so was he, obscenely so.
“I need to talk to Kayleigh, I need to do something with this money, something worthy” he said and then his phone rang.

Jack was called in to the Club because James Lynch, the Entertainments Manager, woke up on Monday morning and his right knee couldn’t bear his weight.
It was the knee he had surgery on the previous year and Jack guessed that he had over done it over the previous few days.

James had had to retrieve his old walking stick from the back of the wardrobe to assist him on the walk from his flat to the car park.
But he really struggled with the drive to the club, and he struggled even more once he got to work so Jack made an appointment for him to see Dr Anderson at the surgery in the village but he couldn’t get him in until Monday evening.
It was the first appointment and there was only one other patient waiting and when James went into Dr Anderson’s office Jack remained in the waiting room.

After examining the knee the Doctor said
“I will have to give you a cortisone injection and you will need to rest it,” she instructed, “so stay off your feet and definitely no work for a couple of days”
After she had administered the injection, which hurt like hell, he put his trousers back on and limped back to the waiting room.

“What’s the verdict?” Jack asked
“Cortisone injection and a few days off my feet” James replied
“That’s ok I can cover you while you’re out of commission” Jack said
“No its fine I can do all the bookings from home”
“And how are you going to get to your 6th floor flat when the lifts are out of order?” jack asked
“Slowly?” he replied
“That’s not going to work” Jack said “you’ll have to stay with me until you’re properly mobile”
“But…”
“But nothing” he said so they stopped at the pharmacy and picked up his painkillers and his knee hurt as much on the walk to White Rose Cottage as it did on the way to the surgery, but something happened on the way to the cottage that distracted him from the pain, they met Elise Riley coming the other way.
“Hi Elise” Jack said and she almost jumped out of her skin
“Oh hello” she said blushing as she tried to catch her breath.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said
“It’s ok, I was miles away” Elise said
“This is my friend James” he said “James this is Elise”
“Oh hello” she sighed and shook his hand “Pleased to meet you”
“Likewise” he said
“What have you been up to?” she asked looking at his stick
“It’s just my knee” he replied
“He’s been grounded so he’s going to be staying at mine for a few days” Jack said and that news seemed to put a smile on her pale lips.

So not only did Jack have to go to the Club for the best part of a week when he wasn’t expecting to but he also had a house guest and his house guest had an admirer.

Elise Riley was an IT security analyst and it was her job to test the IT security for vulnerabilities in a business or even an individual, she worked two days a week at the company’s offices in Purplemere and the rest of the time she worked from home, which was why she was in the village and was introduced to James.
It was also beneficial for her to work from home as she could see James again while he was incapacitated.

James on the other hand wasn’t sure about her at first, he thought she seemed nice enough but he didn’t think she was really his type, not that he had a type.
She was pretty enough, a smiley cheerful person in the right age group, mid-thirties, so he didn’t see why she couldn’t be his type.

He was very definitely her type, blue eyes, sandy hair, tall and slim and a year or two older than her, so she liked what she saw, she thought he was perfect, and she just hoped he saw her the same way and didn’t mind the fact that she was a bit heavier than she would have liked and that he would look beyond that.

While Jack was working at the club and James was laid up in the Cottage, Kayleigh also had to spend extended periods up at Plaxton Park because her husband had had a series of medical crises.
But James was aided in his recovery by regular visits from Elise who had fallen hook line and sinker for him.

On Tuesday morning after a painfully restless night he awoke to find there had been some improvement.
Elise had had to do some work in the morning but she made him some lunch and took it round and then sat with him all afternoon.
He really enjoyed her visit but he wasn’t sure if that was just because she alleviated the boredom or that he was attracted to her.
On Wednesday morning his knee was well on the mend, but he pretended that he still needed the stick though so that he could spend the afternoon with her again, but on Thursday he knew he could delay it no longer so he stayed to have lunch with her but then he had to leave.
During his brief stay at White Rose Cottage Elise had fallen for James completely and the regular visits were so she could be close to him and by the time he was ready to go back to his own flat in Purplemere he felt the same way about her, but that was as far as it went, for the time being.

Chapter 07 – Saving Santa’s Grotto

When Jack finally got the Cottage to himself again and he got to spend some quality time with Kayleigh for the first time in days he was a little surprised to find her somewhat standoffish and not her normal warm flirty self.
It was the first time they had been alone for over a week so he was hoping for a little more of the lovely Kayleigh.
He tried conversation but she was completely unresponsive and when she spoke it was flat and emotionless and when she smiled it was clearly forced, he assumed she must have been worried about Carl, so he settled for a hug.
And he took the opportunity to finally tell her about the letter he had received from the Solicitors and the obscene size of the inheritance, but she didn’t really engage, her mind was clearly elsewhere, so he decided to leave till another time.
So as they were sitting on the sofa and Kayleigh leant forward to pick up her cup he said
“I need to see the Vicar in the morning”
This statement alarmed her rather to the point that she almost dropped her cup.
“Are you ok” he asked with concern
“Yes” she replied flatly “I’m just tired”
But Jack was unconvinced
“Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yes, yes” she said impatiently and forced another smile.

The next morning after a restless night he awoke with a thumping headache and he knew he wouldn’t get rid of it if he stayed at home so he decided to go out for a walk to clear his head and after an extended walk he remembered he had to go to the church hall and see the vicar.
It was a hive of activity as the preparations for St Lucy’s School Christmas Bazaar and the Nativity were in full swing, the Vicar and a small team of ladies were on hand affecting alterations to costumes, well the team of ladies obviously did the work and Katie looked on with a worried frown as the worked.
“Wow this is a hive of industry” he said as he looked on as they worked
“So who is the Elf suit for?”
“Kayleigh Robinson” Karen Clarke replied
“Really? Kayleigh didn’t mention it when I saw her last night” Jack said and his comment was accompanied by a crash behind him and when he looked around he saw Katie Watson had dropped the box of toys she was sorting through for the bazaar, he thought no more about it at the time as his mind had wondered to imagining Kayleigh dressed as an elf.
His train of thought was only broken when Katie’s phone rang, and she took it into the other room to answer it and he remained where he was and smiled to himself as he watched the ladies taking measurements and muttering to one another with their mouths full of pins, then all of a sudden the door flew open and the Vicar emerged.
“It’s a disaster” she blurted out
“Why? What?” Jack asked
“Carl Collins just called” she replied “Santa’s Grotto is ruined”
“Oh no” he said “How?”
“The roof leaked on the lock up where it’s stored” The vicar replied
“Everything is water damaged, the throne, the sleigh, the reindeer, and everything else to boot”
“Oh” Jack said
“We’ll have to cancel” she said despondently
“Well let’s not be hasty” Jack said
“It’s hopeless, we can’t possibly get them repaired on time and even less chance of replacing them, we have no option but to cancel”
Katie said indignantly
“Oh ye of little faith” Jack said and took out his mobile phone and got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit dial
“Billy? How are you at miracles?” he asked as the Vicar paced up and down like an expectant father while he spoke.
Billy O’Neil was a prop supplier, and had his own company, SceneSetters, which was close to the Purplemere Film Studios, and his company supplied the Studio’s, Theatre’s and TV sets with props and sets.
He wandered outside and the conversation lasted about ten minutes and when he had finished and put the phone in his pocket and Katie just stood and stared at him.
“Well?” She asked, eventually losing her patience
“Sorted” he replied
“Thank you God” she said looking to the heavens and crossing herself “And thank you Jack” she added and Katie kissed his cheek

The week that followed saw him split his time equally between the club, Santa’s Grotto, and Kayleigh.
On Saturday morning he rose early and treated himself to an extra close shave, and as a result when he applied the aftershave it stung like hell.
So he arrived at St Lucy’s school sweet smelling and red-faced at about 11.00am to find the Vicar fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so and he wasn’t sure why, it was after all just a village school bazaar and when Jack told her to slow down Katie snapped
“We’re making Christmas memories and it’s my last chance…”
Just then Kayleigh came through the door behind him
“Hi Jack” she said brightly and kissed his cheek and then blushed after the show of affection
“Come on Kayleigh, the costume is through here” said Katie and she lead her away to one of the classrooms.

Jacks task was to apply the finishing touches to the Grotto which was in another one of the classrooms, the walls were hidden behind red velvet drapes, decorated with tinsel and coloured lights.
There was a huge throne in one corner surrounded by Christmas parcels and leading to the throne was a snow covered path and on one side of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side Santa’s sleigh was parked, which was also loaded with parcels.
Jack was just admiring everyone’s handiwork when Kayleigh appeared, and she was dressed rather fetchingly as an Elf in a green fitted tunic with large buttons and a broad belt, thick green tights and pixie boots with turned up toes.
Kayleigh’s hair was tied up and hidden under a matching hat and when he looked her up and down he had very unchristian thoughts so he steered her discretely into an empty classroom and kissed her.
It could only be a quick kiss because the Grotto opened at 1 pm and she would be kept pretty busy right through until 4 o’clock while Jack was busy on the tombola.

When Kayleigh was finished at the Grotto and the last of the excited children had sat on Santa’s lap she put on her long winter coat over the top of her costume and went in search of Jack.
She would have liked to have helped Jack on the Tombola but she had already been volunteered to help out in Santa’s Grotto and she couldn’t wriggle out of it without giving the game away that they were more than just companionable friends and neighbours.

When she reached the hall almost everything had been packed away and it only took about ten minutes before they were ready to walk the short distance up the road to his cottage where they were having supper and as they walked along the corridor he said
“I have to say I’m a little disappointed you got changed out of your costume”
“Shhh someone will hear” she said as she looked around making sure they were alone and then she undid her coat to reveal her costume beneath,
“Well I do believe that you’re on the naughty list” he said.
“No I’m on the nice and naughty list” Kayleigh said and giggled, suffice is to say that they had a late supper.

Chapter 08 – A Test of Faith

When Jack awoke on Sunday morning, alone, he was pleased that
Kayleigh seemed to be back to normal.
But Carl’s condition was still causing concern so she spent the night up at Plaxton Park.
So he left home and walked down to the church alone and he was surprised to see Kayleigh outside the church engaged in conversation with Katie Watson, the Vicar, Sarah Peters, the Verger and a young woman that Jack didn’t know.
“It’s just one thing after another” Katie was saying
“It’s St Lucy’s day on Thursday and next weekend we have the carol concert and Christingle”
“What’s the matter? Is life testing you’re patience Vicar?” he asked cheerfully
“No it’s testing my faith,” she said without humour and went inside.
“Now look what you’ve done” Kayleigh said and followed in the Vicar footsteps.
Sarah just looked at him and raised her eyebrows
“What’s the problem anyway?” Jack asked
“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” Sarah replied
“Damn” he said
There was a bit of an awkward silence and then he said
“I’ve rather put my foot in it haven’t I?”
“Just a little bit” she said and then almost as an after thought
“Oh by the way this is my sister Hannah”
Hannah was as different from Sarah as it was possible to get.
She was the shapely to her thin, the short to her tall, and the busty to her flat.
But in one obvious way there was no difference at all as she also had the friendly open face.
Sarah had just turned 30 and was two years younger than her sister but looked older by the same distance.
Jack shook her hand warmly
“Ah you coming in?” Sarah asked
“I’ll be in shortly I need to make a phone call” he replied

He was just finishing his call when Sarah and Hannah reappeared 90 minutes later and as they exited the church Hannah said
“I rather enjoyed that”
“You’re not a regular then?” Jack asked
“That’s right, not for years, I don’t know why I lapsed” she replied,

After a few minutes the conversation turned back to the Vicar.
“I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea, it was very out of character,” Sarah said in Katie’s defence
“It’s just such a busy time for her”
“Don’t worry” Hannah said, “I rather like Katie”
“Good” Jack said, “It’s not like her to snap like that, I think there’s something else bothering her”
“I thought the same thing” Sarah said
“Anyway I’ve been talking to a mate” Jack said
“What about?” Sarah asked
“The sound system” she said “that’s his area of expertise”
“And what conclusion did you reach?” she asked
“Well he’s agreed to come and have a look and if it’s not a complicated system, which I doubt it is, he thinks he can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas he would look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“We don’t have much money,” Sarah added
“Not an issue” he said, “I know people who know people and the people I know, owe me”
“But I thought you were a night club owner” Sarah said
“I am” he replied proudly “but there is more to me than meets the eye”
“Are you sure he can do it?” she asked him and he nodded.
Well Sarah knew he had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with the Vicar so she suggested
“Well let’s go and make the Vicars day then”

Katie Watson burst into tears when Jack put his suggestion to her.
“Its divine providence” Katie sobbed “I prayed for a solution and here you are” then she collapsed into Sarah’s long gangly arms.
Jake made a tactical withdrawal and Sarah and Kayleigh stayed with Katie for a while afterwards while Jack and Hannah took a walk round the village green and got to know each other.
She was from Purplemere and her marriage had just ended and she just wanted to off load the house and draw a line under an unhappy episode in his life.
“I wouldn’t mind living here” she said “first impressions and all that”
“I wouldn’t live anywhere else now” he admitted

When Kayleigh finally emerged it was clear that she had been crying as well and she was a little quiet for the rest of the afternoon and when he eventually went home he reflected that it had been a bit of an eventful day for a Sunday.
And if Sunday had been an eventful day then it merely heralded the beginning of an even more eventful week to come.

On Monday morning Jack was working in his study and most of that work involved talking on the phone to his club manager, Jacey Linton, who was the ex-brother in law of Gary Spiers, the sound engineer Jack hoped would solve St Lucy’s predicament and they agreed to meet at lunchtime.

Jack wandered down the road to St Lucy’s just after midday and found no sign of life so he went and knocked on the door of the Vicarage and finding no one home there either he ambled aimlessly around the village until he found himself walking past Stephenson’s Corner Shop.

Stephenson’s had supermarkets and convenience stores all over Downshire and the one in Turnoak was owned and run by Len and Anita Compson and when he walked into the shop he found the Verger, Sarah Peters, talking with her sister Hannah.
When she wasn’t being the Verger at St Lucy’s Sarah was the receptionist at the doctors Surgery.
Hannah didn’t live in the Village but was staying with Sarah for a few days.
“Hello” Jack said brightly
“Hello Jack” she said
“Have you seen the Vicar?” he asked hopefully
“She’s at the surgery” Sarah replied
“Was it something important?”
“Well I’ve got a guy coming to look at the sound system” he said
“When?”
“One o’clock” he replied
“Well I can show him around” Sarah said
“Could you?” he said “That would be brilliant”
“Ok, I’ll meet you there at one o’clock”

After leaving Stephenson’s he decided rather that going back to the cottage and coming out again he would go and have a pint at the Hen and Chicks.

When Jack left the pub after a pint and a sandwich he noticed a van parked outside the church so he took a walk in that direction and discovered that the van bore the livery of “Sound in Spiers” and he smiled.
He walked into the church and found Gary engaged in conversation with Sarah and Hannah and the latter was giggling and flicking at her hair.
“Jack!” Gary said as he saw him approach “Good to see you again”
“Hi Gary” he retorted with a smile, he liked Gary, he had a way about him, which Hannah had clearly noticed.

They chatted briefly and then Sarah led him away to show him what the problem was, not that she knew what the problem was other than the fact it didn’t work, leaving Hannah and Jack standing in the nave.
“So what do you think of our Gary then?” he asked
“Oh erm… I um… he seems quite nice” she replied disinterestedly and Jack just smiled but thought it would be cruel to toy with her so instead he changed the subject to find out more about her.

Hannah Peters was a nurse at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere where she was living with her fiancé, but after ten years together, cohabiting for eight of those, he decide he wasn’t ready to settle down, but he didn’t tell her to her face, he emailed her from his brother’s place.
It came completely out of the blue and Hannah was heartbroken and the reason she was spending a long weekend with her sister was that the man she had loved for ten years was removing every trace of himself from their flat, which was now her flat, fortunately they were only renting so there were no financial complications.
But she didn’t think she would be able to remain there long term as it was a big flat to run on a nurses salary.
“I didn’t want to be there while he packed up his stuff as I may have been tempted to slap his emotionally stunted face” she said and laughed and so did Jack and he was still laughing when Sarah and Gary re-joined them.
“So what’s the verdict?” he asked still chuckling
“Yes it’s a simple enough system” he replied “It’s just a question of how quick you need it”
“It needs to be up and running by Thursday midday” Jack said
“No pressure then” Gary said “Well it’s doable but it’s going to cost more”
“That’s ok moneys no object” he retorted and Sarah looked horrified
“Oh no tha…” she began
“Send the bill to me” Jack said “Now let’s go and discuss it in the pub, are you girls going to join us?”
“I have to get back to work” Sarah said
“I don’t” Hannah said and blushed
“Just the three of us then” he said “If you see Katie tell her I’ll speak to her later”

Gary Spiers was 34 years old and he had known Jack for about ten years when he was working at the Waterside sorting out a fault in the paging system, he was working for someone else at the time but Jack and his Uncle Daniel recognized his true worth and employed him directly to install a new system, which was the start of him setting up on his own and after being recommended to other entertainment venues his business really took off.
He had never forgotten that it was the Morehouse’s who had set him on the road which was why when he got a call from Jack he dropped everything to help.
The only downside to having a successful business in a niche market place was it was full on and you couldn’t afford to take your eye off the ball.
He had a good team of people working for him and an even bigger pool of preferred contractors but it had been all consuming and he had had to make sacrifices so he didn’t really have anything outside of work, he had friends of course but he didn’t have anyone special that he could go home to and tell about his day.
He really envied Jack who was able to take a back seat at the club and spend more time enjoying what he had worked for.
But he was very pleased that Jack had invited Hannah to have lunch with them, he would never have had the courage himself, and he was rather taken with her.

“Well it’s not a complicated system” Gary said “I have enough used equipment back at the warehouse, amps, monitors and even a control desk, that we can easily use to patch us the system in the short term, we can jury rig it to get them through December and then after Christmas we can look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“Well that sounds like it’s just what they need” Jack said “And remember, moneys no object”
“I’ll make some calls and we’ll get cracking first thing tomorrow”
“That’s great Gary Katie will be pleased” Jack said
“Katie?” he asked
“Katie Watson, the Vicar” he clarified “Now enough shop talk Hannah here is also from Purplemere, so chat among yourselves while I get us another drink”
“So you don’t live in the village?” Gary asked
“Not yet” she said
“Oh?”
“Well my sister has suggested I move in with her, but I’m a nurse at the Royal Downshire” she said
“Well that’s not too far to travel” he said
“I know but I don’t drive, and the bus times don’t fit in with my shifts” Hannah sighed
“I see” Gary said “What department are you in at the Downshire?”
“Geriatrics” she replied
“Well why don’t you try Plaxton Park” he suggested
“What’s that, is it a hospital?”
“It’s a more of a hospice and perpetual care facility” he replied
“It’s in Hawthorne”
Hawthorne was a small hamlet in the hills about two miles from Turnoak.
“It will be shift work but you could walk there” he said
“I’ve never heard of it” she admitted
“Well I only know of it myself because my Nan is up there”
He said
“Well it’s worth looking into, thanks” she said just as Jack returned with the drinks

When they left the pub Jack felt a bit of a gooseberry because there was definitely some mutual attraction going on between Gary and Hannah and after goodbyes were said there was an awkward shuffling of feet followed by a rather untidy embrace then they all went their separate ways.
As Jack was the only one of the three drinking alcohol he was the only one that was in need of an afternoon nap which he did as soon as he got home.

Chapter 09 – Helping one of the Angels

The next morning after a couple of lengthy phone calls to the club to catch up with the business side of his life Jack went out the door and took a walk in the direction of the church and discovered Gary had been true to his word, as one of the two vans parked outside the Church bore the livery of Sound in Spiers, he was tempted to go in and see how they were getting on but in truth he wouldn’t have been able to tell how they were progressing.
So he decided to go for an extended walk around the village as the previous days boozy lunch had left him feeling a bit brain fogged and he had just reached Stephenson’s Corner Shop when someone grabbed his arm, and he turned around to see it was Katie Watson.
“Hello Jack” she said
“Hello Vicar, you surprised me,” he responded then she surprised him again by giving him a bear hug which almost crushed his ribcage and then she kissed his cheek several times.
“You’ve saved my life Jack Morehouse” Katie said and hurried off towards the church and then over her shoulder she shouted
“You are my Christmas star”

When Jack walked past the church on Wednesday on his way to the Church committee meeting there was only the one van parked outside and there were a lot of strange noises emanating from inside and by Thursday lunchtime everything was set for St Lucy’s Day.

It all began once the darkness had fully descended with a celebration service and then after the church service a parade of school children from St Lucy’s school processed through the village carrying their Lucy lights and then threw them onto the bonfire to light the Lucy fire on the village green.
It’s all very pagan and a Swedish tradition originally, a mixture of the Christian and the pagan really, something that Elise Riley’s grandfather introduced to the village more than fifty years earlier.
It was believed that St Lucy’s light can lengthen the winter days.
The St Lucy’s day festival was always well attended as it’s such a unique event.
Christians from churches far and wide attended the service and a healthy crowd both church and secular turned out for the parade, even the odd humanist had been known to turn up, but to Jacks mind most humanists were odd.
Katie gave thanks to God, for all those involved and Gary Spiers in particular, for making St Lucy’s day such a great success.

For Reverend Katie Watson the second weekend of advent was a test of endurance but with the success of St Lucy’s day under her belt she approached the first leg of the marathon with renewed vigour.
The Carol Concert on Saturday night was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house.
The sound system was excellent and the new visual displays really came into their own.
But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Katie to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the second candle of advent.

After another success, with the morning service going off without a hitch, there was just time for a light lunch before she was off again for Christingle.

The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though its origins were in Eastern Europe.
It is a service of candle lights where very many years ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.
It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.
A story is told with the symbolic use of the following items:
An orange, representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange, to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks, decorated with dried fruits and sweets are placed at the four corners of the orange, representing all the people of the world.
And a lighted candle in the centre of the orange, represents the gift of the light of Christ to the world.
It all begins in the morning at Sunday school where the children make the Christingle lights, and then they carry them proudly in procession into the church where they are lit for the service.

By Sunday evening it was over, Katie had got through it, the miracle marathon had been completed and she looked visibly relieved and hugged Kayleigh and Sarah who had been on hand at every stage of the proceedings, watching, supporting and worshipping.
It certainly had been a funny old week, a week in which Gary Spiers had saved the day, and Katie Watson’s sanity, and Katie had survived the miracle marathon and Hannah Peters had been drawn back to the church again and as a result there had been a spark of love lit in her heart as well as the flickering flame of her faith.

The following week by comparison was a quiet one but he still saw very little of Kayleigh partly because on Monday and Tuesday he chose to put in an extended appearance at the club just to make sure everything was on track, because it was the first Christmas in which he was not going to be directly involved and it would be the last time until the New Year.

As he walked in to the village on Wednesday for the Church committee meeting he saw Dr Anderson leave the vicarage and get into her car, he wasn’t sure if she saw him but she didn’t stop and as she drove away he wondered what the Doctor was doing there, after all making house calls was not in vogue and he had heard that Katie had been at the surgery only the week before.
When he got to the Church Hall he was almost the last to arrive and he found the assembled group in sombre mood.
Also in the room was a stranger who was introduced to him as the Reverend Paul Massey, a tall good-looking man a year or two younger than him.
It seemed that the stresses and strains of the previous week had taken their toll on Katie.
But by all accounts she would appear to be no more than thoroughly run down and had been advised to take a complete rest.
That was obviously the reason why Dr Anderson was leaving the vicarage.
Full bed rest for the week would hopefully put her right and she would be strong enough to participate on Sunday was the expectation.
Reverend Massey would be standing in for her wherever and whenever necessary until then.
After all there was still a busy program to get through, two more advent Sundays, midnight mass and Christmas morning itself.
The meeting moved on at a pace once they got started and they covered a good deal of ground.
One of the things covered was Jacks position on the committee, his Uncle Daniel, whose position he had been substituting, being deceased would not be returning to the committee, and as he had given a good account of himself, it was decided that it was an appropriate time for him to be made a permanent member.

For the last quarter of the meeting the committee planned to discuss the technical issues with the church audio and visual system and with this in mind, Gary Spiers was summoned to the meeting, however due to a family crisis he was unable to attend so his second in command
Martina Wingrove attended in his stead.
This was a quite acceptable substitution as it was Martina who supervised the initial work.
She was a tall striking looking young woman with an abundance of curly straw coloured hair, pale blue eyes and a curvaceous figure and when Jack introduced Martina to the Reverend Massey there was an almost instant mutual attraction and to be quite honest he and the other committee members might just as well have been absent.
And when she began her dissertation on the Church system she aimed it directly at the new reverend and it was apparent to all that her eye had clearly settled on the replacement Vicar and not only was her attentiveness not discouraged it was clearly being reciprocated .

However despite what they may have thought they were not witnessing a case of love at first sight because although none of the assembled group were aware of it the smitten couple were not strangers, far from it.
They had once been engaged to be married but that had been when they were University students, but it all went wrong, probably because they were too young, and also they both thought there was more to life than marrying the first person you fell in love with and so they parted company.
They had their adventures in the world and independently they did indeed discover that there was more to life than they realized when they were together, Paul discovered God and Martina found music.
It was ironic really because when they were together Martina was the Christian and he was a guitar strumming doubter.
Although their lives alone took very different paths one thing in those lives was a constant and that was a regret at letting the love of their life slip through their fingers.
But by the time they realized their mistakes it was too late and they had no way of knowing where the other could be found although in truth they had never lived more than 3 miles apart and if the fates had allowed they could have run into each other at any given time.
But although they were clearly still attracted to each other that was only a starting place.

After the meeting Jack reflected on how love had an uncanny knack of finding its way into people’s lives even when you weren’t looking for it.
He also reflected that he had never been so busy since he made the decision to take a back seat at the club and having thought prior to the meeting that he only had one firm commitment until the turn of the year, he now found his diary suddenly full as a result of it.
December had always traditionally been a busy one for him but this year was turning out to be an exceptionally busy one.
Then he stopped suddenly because he had remembered something his mum had once said to him.
“You should give more of yourself, if everyone gave one hour a week, what a change that would make to the world”
“I can’t argue with that mum” he said
After the meeting he went home and made himself a sandwich and sat down in front of the TV and started watching “The Bishops Wife”, which was one of his favourite Christmas movies, but he lasted no more than 10 minutes before the long blinks set in so he spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch in a fitful dreamy sleep.
And it was just when he had woken from that long afternoons snoozing and surfaced from a strange dreamland that he heard the sound of the doorbell.
The bell continued to ring as he made his way up the hall and when he opened the front door he found one of his neighbours Gemma Frost standing there soaking wet.
“Ah Jack” she said, “I am a damsel in distress”
“How can I help?” he asked
“I’m locked out” she said “and the boys won’t be back for at least an hour, could I take refuge here until they get home?”
“Yes of course” he said just being neighbourly “Come on in”
“Thanks Jack” she said as she stepped inside.
“Take your coat off,” he suggested “And I’ll put the kettle on”

When he returned she was sitting on the bottom stair taking her boots off, then she stood up and straightened her uniform.
Gemma Frost was a forty six years old divorcee and worked up at Plaxton Park as a Matron.
“Come in the kitchen” he said “You look done in”
“Yes I am rather” she admitted as she sat at the kitchen table
“Two of the nurses didn’t show up so I had to pull another double shift”
“Does that happen a lot?” he asked
“More often than I’d like” she said “And I’ll be working all Christmas if I can get some reliable cover”
“Really?”
“I’m afraid so” she said
“Well Christmas might have come early for you then” he said
“Do you want another cup?” he asked and Gemma checked her watch before replying
“Yes please, but I must have a pee first”
“Ok, I’ll take it through to the lounge” he said
He was sitting on the sofa when she returned, she was a short rotund woman with a heart as big as her bust size and she was definitely one of the angels.
He knew that as a Matron up at Plaxton Park she didn’t have to stay and cover for a no show nurse but she could never compromise on the care for her patients.

Over a second cup of coffee Jack explained about the Verger’s sister, Hannah, Gemma knew Sarah Peters obviously from church and the Doctors Surgery, where she was the receptionist, but she didn’t know her sister although she had seen them together from time to time.
“If she can do a shift or two over Christmas or New Year we can assess her and she can assess us and then we can take it from there” she said “Do you think she might be happy to give it a go?”
“Well there’s only one way to find out” he said and picked up his phone and after selecting a number he waited for them to answer after several rings it went through to the answer phone.
“Hi Hannah, Jack Morehouse here” he said, “If you were serious about wanting to live in the village then you may be in luck.
There is a vacancy up at the Plaxton Park and if you can do a couple of trial shifts you’re in with a chance, if you’re interested”
“I’m interested! I’m interested!” Hannah squealed as she picked up the phone.
“Ok I’ll put you onto Gemma and you can talk details” he said and handed over the phone.
“Hi Hannah” she said

While Gemma and Hannah discussed the details he cleared away the dirty cups to the kitchen and when he looked through the window he could see lights on at Gemma’s across the road.

Chapter 10 – The Busy Season

In the week following he saw very little of Kayleigh but he didn’t have time to miss her as his feet barely touched the floor.
He was spurred on by his mother’s words to him when he was a boy, which reverberated in his head, like a mantra.
“You should give more of yourself, if everyone gave one hour a week, what a change that would make to the world”
Which was something he couldn’t argue with back then and could argue with it now even less which was why he threw himself into it totally and agreed to do everything he was asked without question.

His busy week started on the morning of the third Sunday of advent where he was involved as a greeter, Katie Watson wasn’t well enough for the service but she did put in an appearance for the carol singing at St Lucy’s that evening looking pale and wan.
She was under strict instructions from Dr Anderson not to attend any of the usual clutch of seasonal outdoor events, which although she was most unhappy about it she thankfully did as she was told as winter had arrived in Turnoak with a vengeance.

On Monday it was his turn to man the Soup Kitchen in Purplemere on a bitter cold night, it was his first time there, and what an eye opener it was.
He was absolutely staggered firstly by the number and variety of homeless people in a relatively small town and secondly by how human beings could survive living at the mercy of the elements.
Some of them, the lucky ones, they were able to place in hostels or shelters but for the rest all they could do was give them hot food and a blanket.
He had clearly found a deserving recipient for some of the money his Uncle Daniel had left him.

He slept in until lunch time the following day and reflected on how lucky he was to have a comfortable home and a roof over his head.
On Tuesday night he was again out on the streets of Purplemere this time with the Christmas Charity Wagon.
It was an old brewer’s dray pulled by two white shire horses.
The whole thing was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back a multidenominational choir while the rest of the volunteers went from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the children, there were a number of faces he recognized amongst there number, Gemma Frost, Sarah Peters, and Elise Riley to name but three.

On Wednesday afternoon it was The Santa Express, which was a renovated steam engine and coaches, which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret location where Santa was waiting in his grotto.
It picked up the local children and their parents late afternoon so that they arrived at the grotto in darkness, in order to make the most of the spectacular lights.
It was Jack’s responsibility to deliver the family’s to Sharping St Mary on the coach, ensuring firstly that everyone was accounted for before departure and more importantly that he had the same number of people on the return journey.
The kids were going crazy with excitement and Jack had to confess he found it quite exciting himself.
But his job on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off the train.
Karen Clarke, among others from the committee were also present and at one point she managed to trap Jack between the carriages armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself at the pagan ritual she let him go, he was mightily relieved that she didn’t have a mouth full of pins like the last time he had seen her, when she was altering costumes in the Church Hall.
Also helping on the trip were Reverend Massey and to his surprise Martina Wingrove, Paul and Martina seemed to have become inseparable in the short time since he introduced them, or more accurately reintroduced them, although he didn’t know that at the time.
Jack had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates, he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was until he first lay eyes on Kayleigh, and when he introduced Martina and Paul and they were instantly smitten, but he had come to the conclusion much earlier that anything can happen in Turnoak.
Afterwards when he saw them together, they were like two halves of a different whole, each of them was the missing piece in the others puzzle.
Of course he was not privy to the fact that they were old flames so it wasn’t love at first sight, but it was unmistakably love.
As he watched them together he remembered a long ago conversation he once had with her when she said
“I’m not looking for a life partner”
Well Jack thought she had found one whether she was looking or not.

Now if the kids were excited on the way to the grotto then judging by the decibel level they were even more so on the way back but by the time they got on the coach they were a spent force and the coach ride back to the village was very peaceful.

On Thursday he had nothing planned other than to treat it as his day off.
But it was also the nativity play at St Lucy’s School that evening and shortly after breakfast he took a phone call asking if he could help out because they were shorthanded due to illness.
He really could have done with a restful day but he was needed, and he liked being needed so he did a machine full of laundry and made lunch for himself and Kayleigh and they finally had an engaging conversation about his inheritance and what to do with it.

Shortly after lunch Reverend Paul Massey had to go and visit a parishioner, it sounded like it was going to be a waste of his time, however he knew as he was the new man at St Lucy’s he had to earn the trust of his flock even if he had been asked to pop round because an octogenarian couldn’t get the web cam to work on her laptop.
Paul knew it probably meant that she had disabled it by accident but he had to go out in the cold just to tick a box.
The temperature hadn’t got above freezing all day and his car was covered in frost and ice so he decided to walk on the basis that he should be able to walk there and back in the time it would take to sufficiently defrost the car.

As he suspected Mrs. Nelson had accidentally disabled the web cam so he worked his magic and went back out into the cold afternoon air and by the time he got down the path it had started snowing and by the time he reached the main road it was coming down hard and fast.
It was coming down so rapidly that visibility was instantly reduced to zero.
It was so disorienting that he couldn’t have found his way back to Mrs Nelson’s house despite being no more than 50 yards away.
So he inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he reached the end of a row of houses he had to take a leap of faith, as he couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he trudged onward he realized he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached the other side.
Paul had no idea how far he had gone, he had no point of reference, so he decided the best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had already gone.
He wasn’t that familiar with Turnoak in crystal clear visibility let alone in a blizzard and Paul was just beginning to panic when he tripped on a curb stone and crashed into another lost soul and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.

Martina Wingrove was working alone at St Lucy’s installing a new control desk and was totally oblivious to the weather until she stepped outside, and it was snowing.
She didn’t particularly want to go out in it but she really wanted a sandwich and a drink and Stephenson’s Corner shop was only about a hundred yard away.
So she zipped up her coat and pulled up her collar and set off down the road but she only got halfway to the shop before the snow fell thick and fast and had trouble seeing her way and a couple of minutes later she crashed into someone and they fell unceremoniously to the floor.

When Paul got to his feet he found he was outside Stephenson’s
“I’m saved,” he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but first he had to help the other poor traveller he had left prostrate on the snowy ground.
“I’m so sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to its feet.
The individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves off and Paul got the impression his apology was not accepted and when they began to turn in his direction he was bracing himself for a volley of unchristian language but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be Martina Wingrove and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly changed to a beaming toothy smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Paul” she said excitedly and then cautiously gave a long look in the direction of the shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t know it was you Vicar”
“Are you ok?” he asked
“I am now” she replied and was still looking anxiously towards the shop so he steered her around the side of the building and kissed Martina in the snow, which she reciprocated eagerly.
“Is this appropriate behaviour Vicar?” she asked “Taking advantage of a defenceless woman, what will your parishioner’s think?”
“My parishioners can’t see us” he said
“Well in that case” she said and spun him around and kissed him.
The kiss continued until the snow began to lighten and there was a risk of discovery.
“We’ll I’d better let you go” she said but kissed him once more quickly
“Regrettably yes” Paul said and they both started walking towards the shop door a respectable distance apart.
“I only came out because I was peckish” she said and giggled
“But now I’m ravenous”
“I have to admit that I’m quite hungry myself now” Paul said

At the precise moment that Paul and Martina were kissing in the snow
Jack and Kayleigh were cuddling on the sofa in White Rose Cottage when she said
“Sarah, Hannah and Elise are going for a meal in Purplemere tomorrow night and they’ve asked if I want to go with them”
“I was hoping we could go out for an intimate dinner at the Runcible Spoon” Jack said but she was a little apprehensive about them being seen
“If People see us they might think we’re on a date” she said
“We would be on a date” he pointed out
“That’s not the point” Kayleigh retorted and giggled
“Well I don’t mind if you want to go” he said “Where are you eating anyway?”
“La Florenza”
“You’re passing up on an intimate dinner for two at one of the poshest restaurants in the county, to eat at a cheesy pizza place”
He said
“Well if you just happened to be in town tonight, and just happened to be in the vicinity of La Florenza you could join us” she said seductively and nibbled his ear
“Ah is that because you’ll miss me?” he cooed
“No it’s so you can pay “money bags”” Kayleigh said and laughed

Chapter 11 – The Night Out

The following day they woke together in his bed on a grey cold morning and had a lazy start to the day and after a late breakfast she slipped out into the grey to get her hair done for the night out and an hour later Jack left and drove over to the Waterside Club.

On that day Gary Spiers had the day off and slept until lunchtime, as that night was his first patrol with the Roving Angels.
He had his reservations about doing it despite the encouragement from his friends and wondered if it was really for him.
He left the house in his newly acquired uniform, worn over several layers including, Long John’s, and the stout boots and socks he purchased specially for the occasion as there was still snow on the ground.
As it was forecast to be minus 6 that night so he was going to need every stitch to keep warm, so he donned a woollen hat and scarf and gloves.
The Roving Angels had been in existence for about three years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 10 or 12 years.
They had made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Purplemere town centre over their first three years particularly in the general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
They provided a calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police uniform might have had the opposite effect.
In the two years since they began Roving Angels had contributed to a 29% fall in public place violence on the weekends.
It all began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the Borough Council to establish the Angels in Purplemere.
But it took people of faith to make it work, as with so many things in life.

To be perfectly honest he was feeling a little apprehensive about his maiden patrol as he drove to Purplemere town centre.
He was after all doing something he had never done before and patrolling the streets in the small hours was not without its risks one of which being that drunks are such unpredictable creatures.
Not to mention the fact it was a bitterly cold night and he was a bit of a wimp and it was to be a long shift starting at 10pm and possibly finishing as late as 4am.
All the bars and clubs close for the night at 3 am but the clientele have been known to hang around.

He had butterflies in his stomach when he went into the council building where the Angel volunteers congregated.
In truth Gary was nervous of meeting a bunch of strangers but when he walked in he found that he knew almost half of the assembled group one of whom was Jacey Linton.
“Gary” he said offering his hand “good to see you”
“Hi Jace” he responded taking his hand “I didn’t know you were an Angel”
“Yes” he said “since the beginning”
“Really?” he asked
“Yes” he responded proudly “three years now”
Although he had been trained he didn’t really know what to expect so Gary was quite relieved to find he was going out on the first hour, the quiet hour, with Jacey, who was a veteran.
As expected it was an uneventful maiden patrol which saw Jacey taking the lead with Gary carrying the back pack full of Flip flops, lollipops, space blankets and the first aid kit.
It was useful for him, Jacey showed him the boundaries of the patrol area and he pointed out the potential hotspots for later, he showed him all the CCTV camera locations and identified areas not covered and crucially the radio dead zones.
Also the quiet stroll gave Jacey and Gary a chance to chat.

After spending much of the day at the Waterside Club Jack Morehouse persuaded the Entertainments Manager
James Lynch to go for a drink in Purplemere and when they were happy that everything was running smoothly they left the club and Jack drove him into the centre and after parking the car they walked towards the main pedestrianized thoroughfare where the majority of Bars, Clubs and Restaurants were located which was where they bumped into Gary and Jacey coming the other way.

After the initial surprise Jacey and James talked about the club and Gary and Jack talked about the work he was doing at St Lucy’s Church in the Village but the conversation soon turned to Gary’s second in command at Sound in Spiers, Martina Wingrove and the new associate Vicar, Paul Massey.
Gary and Jack had both noticed the closeness between Martina and the Reverend and Gary said
“I’ve never seen her so smitten before”

After about five minutes the Angels continued their patrol and Jack and James went on their way towards their destination, La Florenza, not that James was aware of that.
As they approached Jack looked in through the window and spotted his quarry immediately seated at a large to the right of the entrance.
“Look who it is” Jack said
“Who? What?” James retorted
“The girls from the Village” he replied “Let’s go and say hello”
“Do we have to?” James protested but Jack was already through the door.
“Hello ladies” he said “Fancy running into you lot here”
“Fancy” Kayleigh said and laughed
“Hello James, why don’t you join us” Elise Riley said sliding along the bench seat to make room for him
“Love to” James said and sat next to her and Jack did the same beside Kayleigh
They spent an amiable hour or so together with a lot of chatter as Elise and James made eyes at each other and Kayleigh and Jack held hands under the table and a lot of wine was consumed.
As they were leaving Hannah Peters kissed Jacks cheek and said
“Thank you so much for getting me the trial at Plaxton Park”
“That’s ok” he said “But it’s up to you now”
“But it means so much because when she gets the job she can come and live with me” her sister Sarah said and kissed his other cheek

After their first uneventful hour on Patrol there was an hour of coffee and chat in the council building then Gary and Jacey went out again at midnight until 1 o’clock.
This also proved to be rather uneventful in fact Jacey said he had never known it so quiet, they concluded it must be the low temperature, so nobody was hanging around.
On their last lap around town they came upon a group of women who had just spilled out of one the restaurants and were laughing and joking with two men and were discussing if they should or shouldn’t go into one of the bars or onto a club and as they reached the periphery of the group Gary recognized the face of one of the men.
Jacey would have recognised that it was Jack as well if he hadn’t been looking intensely at the tall slim woman in the group.
He hesitated before speaking, because he didn’t want to embarrass the girl or himself but while he was wondering what best to do Jack spoke to him
“Hey Jacey” he said “Let me introduce you to everyone”

Sarah was the last one to be introduced
“Look another gorgeous man”
Sarah said a little tipsy “Oooh now we have one each”
“Yes Sarah” Hannah said dismissively already with her eye fixed firmly on Gary who said to Jack, who was the oldest member of the party
“What are you doing out this late Jack?” Gary asked “Shouldn’t you be at home drinking Horlicks?”
This was greeted with a great deal of mirth.
It was then that Jacey noticed a small group of lads lurking in the shadows watching a young girl very much the worse for drink.
“I’m sorry” he said addressing Gary while looking at Sarah “but we need to go”

They walked towards the girl and the others walked with them until they all filed into the pub, Sarah included, and Jacey watched her until the last possible moment.
“Are you on your own?” Jacey asked the drunk girl,
“I’m with Jenny” she slurred
“Where is Jenny?” Gary asked and she shrugged
“So are you going home?” Jacey asked and she nodded
“Come on then we’ll make sure you get a cab home,” he told her
“Ok” she answered
“Have you got enough money?” he asked
“Yes, I’ve got taxi fare,” she slurred
“Look” and she waved a ten-pound note at him.
“What’s it got to do with you?” a loud mouthed girl asked
“Are you a paedo?”
“That’s enough of that, move along” a bouncer said
“Come on let’s get you that cab” Gary said and he noticed the group of lads had evaporated away, probably looking for another vulnerable young woman.
“Thank you” she said and hugged them both
“You’re welcome, now you’d better get in” Gary said
But after the cab drove off with the girl Jacey radioed control and gave them the heads up to keep an eye on the bunch of lads.

As they were walking back to the council offices Gary said
“So you liked Sarah didn’t you?”
“Yes” he replied
“She isn’t normally that flirty” Gary added
“You know her then” Jacey said as they approached the office.
“Yes” he replied, “Sarah Peters, she lives in Turnoak village, she’s the verger at St Lucy’s church”

They were both mightily relieved to get back inside at one o’clock, they were frozen.
Gary didn’t know how the girls could walk around half naked in that weather.
It took almost all the next hour to thaw out and they were not looking forward to another shift and they were mightily relieved when the Supervisor announced that they would be finishing at 3am.
Because it was so cold no one was hanging around to cause trouble so their final patrol was deemed unnecessary.

With the news that they were no longer needed Jacey and Gary said their farewells and headed out towards the car park.
They were parked within a few cars of each other and after a brief chat Jacey got in his and would have driven out of the car park before Gary had even started the engine had he not got a phone call.

Once the engine had warmed up a bit and hot air started to blow through the vents he got out and took off his coat and fleece.
He knew from the journey over, that once the heater got running full throttle it would be too hot with them on.
But before he got back in he noticed the Jacey was still there so he walked over to make sure everything was ok.
“Ok we’ll see you up by the station” he said and put his phone on the seat and turned to Gary and said
“It looks like our services are required”

As he drove out of the car park the car was toasty warm and he followed Jacey who took the route that took them past the railway station and the taxi rank and as they reached the former he spotted some familiar figures staggering towards the latter.
They pulled up just ahead of them and wound down the window.
“Do you want a lift?” Gary called and Hannah was the first to respond and got in the passenger seat, and when she got in the car he noticed she was shivering so he reached over to the back seat and grabbed his fleece
“Put that around you” he suggested
Ok” she said, “Oooh it’s still warm”
Then he gave her his coat and put it over her legs and lap and tucked it around her just as Kayleigh and Jack got in the back.

In Jacey’s car the uncharacteristically flirty Verger Sarah called shotgun on the passenger seat although James and Elise were more than happy with the backseat.

On the journey back to the village Gary gave Hannah his almost undivided attention apart from the occasional glance in the rear view mirror at Jack and Kayleigh who were sitting very close together on the back seat although he couldn’t see that they were holding hands underneath her folded coat.

When they reached the Village Jacey pulled up outside White Rose Cottage and Gary parked behind and as soon as he pulled on the hand brake Sarah leapt into his arms.
“Oh Jacey you are my hero” she slurred, “You should get a reward”
“No need for tha...” he began but she had passed out
“Oh dear” Jacey said and sat her up before getting out where
Jack and Kayleigh were already out and on the doorstep.
“Is Sarah not getting out?” Jack asked
“She’s already out” he replied
“What?” Kayleigh asked looking around “Where?”
“She’s still in the car but she’s out alright, like a light” he said and laughed
When the occupants of Gary’s car emerged, they all got out safely though Elise was feeling no pain at all.
“Oh dear” Jack said “We certainly can’t take her home in that state”
“Definitely not” Kayleigh agreed
“Well everyone can stay here, I’ve got 5 bedrooms after all” Jack said
“Come on let’s get the wounded inside, and nightcaps for everyone else”
“Not for me I need to get going” Jacey said “it’s getting late”
“Nonsense you and Gary can stay over too” he insisted
“Oh alright” he said resignedly and set about carrying the drunken Sarah into the house.
Not an easy task even though she was barely eight stones, in the end he chose the fireman’s lift technique, which was the easiest once he got her out of the car and then he took her straight up the stairs and deposited her on the bed in one of the spare rooms.

After nightcaps Hannah shared the second bedroom with the snoring Sarah as it was an en suite, Elise was in the small room, Gary and Jacey had a room each and James slept on the sofa in the lounge.
Jack having a houseful of guests kept his own room but he slept at Kayleigh’s.

It was just after eight the next morning when Jack awakened and sneaked back into White Rose Cottage.
He would have loved to have stayed cuddled up under the duvet with Kayleigh but he knew James and Jacey would be up and about early because they had to touch base at the Club and make sure everything was on track for the Saturday night show.
But they didn’t make an appearance until after 9 o’clock, Jacey was first and just looked tired because he only had the one drink and James emerged from the lounge 10 minutes later looking a little green around the gills, but having arrived in the kitchen late, neither of them seemed eager to get going, obviously because they wanted to see their respective girls before they left.

They were all sitting around the kitchen table drinking coffee when Gary joined them looking very pleased with himself then Hannah appeared looking as fresh as a daisy which was amazing considering what she’d put down her neck.
But then came the serious drinkers just before 11 o’clock firstly Elise walked in sheepishly and sat down next to James and put her head on his shoulder
“I’m sorry James” Elise whispered
“What for?” he asked
“For being a drunken bum.” she said “and embarrassing myself”
“Don’t be silly” he said
“Am I forgiven then?” she asked
“Of course” he replied “but the next time we go out perhaps just the two of us”
“The next time?” she asked
“Yes”
“I like the sound of that” she said and kissed him

A few minutes later Kayleigh arrived through one door and Sarah through another and the latter looked like death warmed over.
“Good God” Kayleigh said
“Heavens” exclaimed Jacey
“Right, I figured someone would be in need of a remedy” said Kayleigh taking charge.
“I have just the thing for what ails you Sarah”
And she rummaged in her bag and fished out a medicine bottle with a dirty brown substance in it.
“I’ll try anything” Sarah said pitifully about to sit on a kitchen chair
“No don’t sit” Kayleigh commanded, “You need to be ready to move”
She handed the glass bottle to Sarah and said
“Take a good slug of that”
“And then what?” asked Sarah
“You’ll know what” Kayleigh said
Sarah took a good long pull on the bottle and then licked her lips before saying
“That’s not as bad as it lo….”
She never finished the sentence as she turned a funny shade of puce and headed for the toilet.
The noises that came from behind the toilet door are best not described but left to the imagination.
When she emerged some ten minutes later she looked more like her old self.
Another twenty minutes after that she was fit to be seen in church.

Chapter 12 – The Secret Songbird

After all his guests had left, despite the fact he had had the busiest week he could remember and he’d been up half the night he had no intention of trying to catch up on his sleep so Kayleigh drove him into Purplemere to pick up his car then she went to visit Carl up at Plaxton Park while Jack went home and spent his time tidying the house and to keep him going he put on some music.
And as often was the case the album he selected was “Twilights love” by the love of his life, Kayleigh Parkes.
It was a massive hit in the early 1990’s and was a platinum selling album and everyone expected her to follow it up with more of the same but a second album never materialized because she stopped recording and performing after her husband Carl’s tragic accident.

He finished the tidying and sat down with a cup of coffee and despite his intention not to do so, he promptly dropped off and he had a lovely restful dream filled sleep, and he was dreaming about Kayleigh.
It was a lovely dream and it was so vivid that he imagined he could feel her soft lips on his but when he opened his eyes, his beautiful sweet Kayleigh was kissing him.
She smiled at him when she realized he was awake and then she got up and turned off the music and said with a laugh
“Why are you listening to this rubbish?”
“Because I love it” he said “and the singer used to be really sexy”
“Used to be?” she said and jumped on him and began tickling him mercilessly
“She used you be sexy did she?”
“Ok, ok, she’s still sexy” he said

As they sat on the sofa in each other’s arms he said
“I’d love to hear you sing again”
“No, no” she insisted
“But you could do a set at the club” he said “You have such a lovely voice”
“Honestly, have you been talking to Katie” she retorted “She’s always on at me to sing again, but those days are over”
After a moment or two he said
“You could still play” he said “or write? You used to write great songs”
“I do” she replied
“What?”
“I do still play and write and…” she said “record”
“You’re kidding” he said
“Come on I’ll show you” Kayleigh said and took his hand

She led him into her house, where he had been many times before, but went through the kitchen and out the back door and down to the end of the garden and into a brick built out building and he gasped when he saw it was fitted out as a recording studio.
“Wow, if Gary and Martina saw this lot they would think they’d died and gone to heaven”

“So, you write songs, you sing and play the songs, and you record the songs” he said
“Yes”
“Then what?” Jack asked
“I put them on Carl’s MP3” Kayleigh replied “I know it’s silly and I don’t know if he can actually hear them, but I like to think that he can”
“I don’t think it’s silly” Jack said and hugged her

He arose very early on Sunday morning, well before first light as a matter of fact, and felt as fresh as a daisy.
The first thing he did was to breakfast and then stripped all the beds following because of his house guests and laundered the bedding.
After he had loaded the machine and set the program to wash he went upstairs and remade the beds with fresh linen in preparation for the next impromptu visitors.
His exceptionally early start to the day enabled him to complete all his chores with ease and then after a long leisurely shower he left for church after first calling for Kayleigh.
For a change they were amongst the first to arrive and they were delighted to see Katie Watson in attendance looking much more her old self.
However Paul Massey took the Sunday service with Katie giving the sermon.
It was a great service and there was genuine warmth emanating from the congregation towards Katie and a collective relief to see her looking so well.
Afterwards the usual suspects were meeting for lunch at the Hen and Chicks, Sarah declined on religious grounds namely that she didn’t want any further communication with God on the porcelain telephone as she still hadn’t recovered from Friday nights over indulgence.
Kayleigh also declined as it was the Christmas party up at Plaxton Place.
But that Sunday Martina Wingrove, at Paul Massey’s side, were joining the Sunday lunch club for the first time.

After lunching with his friends at the pub and making merry he walked home and when he reached his front door he found standing on the doorstep, what was clearly a bottle of something in one of those decorative bottle bags, so he picked it up and read the tag.
“Have a Merry Christmas Jack, with love from a grateful Damsel in Distress”
“Well that was a nice thing to do,” he said to himself, the damsel was
Gemma Frost, who lived across the road from him and she got locked out one cold miserable afternoon.

He was in the house for about an hour before there was a knock at the door and when he opened the door, he found a tipsy Kayleigh on the other side of it, holding another bottle bag.
“Happy Christmas” she said beaming.
“Hey! Happy Christmas hon” he responded with a smile, “come in”
“Ok” she said still smiling broadly “but no funny business”
“What do you mean, no funny business” he asked as Kayleigh stepped inside
“I mean you taking advantage of me because I’m squiffy” she pointed out
“Oh I see, but you didn’t have to get me a gift,” he said to her as he took her coat.
“I didn’t get you a gift, this is mine” she said as she sat down on the sofa “I won this in the raffle, but you can help me drink it”
“I’ll get some glasses” he said

When the bottle was almost finished Kayleigh slurred
“This is the best Christmas I’ve had for years”
Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she added
“And it’s all thanks to you”
Then she gave him a big hug and a kiss and an hour later beneath the laundered duvet on his bed he said
“So much for no funny business,”
As a result of Kayleigh’s Yuletide felicitations they were almost late for the carol singing in the village and as they went from house to house it started to snow but it was little more than a flurry really and barely even enough to qualify as a light shower.

Chapter 13 – Christmastide

The next day was Christmas Eve and apart from the delivery of Christmas gifts and cards to friends and exchanging seasonal greetings with those important to him he spent the day alone as unfortunately he wouldn’t be seeing Kayleigh
She always spent the important dates, Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, New Year’s Eve, Halloween and Valentines with Carl up at Plaxton Park even if she didn’t know if he knew she was there or not because Carl was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely, physically and mentally disabled and in need of perpetual care and had not responded to any external stimuli.

So Jack spent the majority of the day listening to Christmas music and watching schmaltzy movies on TV but his mind kept wandering to Kayleigh and how he really wanted to be spending every moment of Christmas with her, he just didn’t know when that might be the norm.
He concluded that Kayleigh was the woman for him but in the meantime he would just have to be satisfied with the stolen moments and that day’s stolen moment was at midnight mass where they held hands in the dark.

As usual St Lucy’s was well attended for Midnight Mass, despite the bitter cold and to the great delight of everyone in attendance Reverend Katie Watson led the service.
After the mass was over they all gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace then Jack walked Kayleigh to her house and he went home alone.

Christmas morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting the evergreens.
And as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the joyous faithful arrived under a clear blue sky.
It was a most glorious Christmas morning and Jacks spirits were high as he knocked for Kayleigh and she invited him in for a Christmas kiss, although her would have preferred to kiss her lovingly in the sunshine, before they walked down to St Lucy’s to join the rest of the congregation.
It was an excellent service with Katie Watson back to her very best while Paul Massey graciously took a back seat.
Afterwards it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their best wishes with Katie and she was clearly overcome with all the attention.
In the days preceding Christmas she had also been inundated with invitations to share Christmas dinner and was quite overwhelmed by people’s kindness.
In the end she accepted Gemma Frost’s invitation and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas lunch with her and her sons and their other guest Jack, which although they didn’t know it at the time was to be Katie Watson’s final Christmas as the vicar of St Lucy’s.

After he left the church and said his goodbyes, Kayleigh spent the rest of the day at Plaxton Park with Carl and Jack went to Gemma’s where he ate too much, drank too much and left just before he’d over stayed his welcome but still returned home quite late to find Kayleigh in his bed.

On Boxing Day all of Jacks closest friends were invited to all corners of the county, by either family or friends even Kayleigh had to spend the day and night in Roespring with her grandparents so he spent the day alone.
He couldn’t even go to the club to kill time as it was shut, so in contrast to the previous few weeks it was a very quiet and uneventful day but although he missed Kayleigh it gave him time to recover from the overindulgences of the preceding days and had a quieter day of television and slobbery.

From the moment he got up the next day he began looking forward to Kayleigh’s return unfortunately the weather had taken a turn for the worse according to the BBC Breakfast weather with heavy snow moving across from the east.
He had spoken to Kayleigh just before she set off from her grandparents and the snow hadn’t reached Roespring at that stage, they spoke several times before during the journey and she managed to avoid the snow in the main and reached Nettlefield in good time and she had got some way south before the weather caught up to her just after Millmoor, but she had stop outside the Oakham’s and take refuge from the worst of the storm at the Motorway services.
But Jack had no way of knowing that because he had lost touch with her about half an hour before she had to stop because her phone died, so he didn’t know where she was or even where she was coming from for that matter, the news bulletins talked a lot about road closures and diversions.
He was beside himself with worry all day and he kept ringing her phone but all he could do was leave voice mail after voice mail as she wasn’t picking up.
But just before seven o’clock he got a call from a land line number he didn’t recognize and it was Kayleigh.
“Thank God” he exclaimed “Are you ok?”
Kayleigh went on to explain about her phone dying and how she had to queue for more than two hours just to use the public phone.
But the good news was that they had just had word that the snow ploughs had the motorway open again and they would be on the move very soon and not to worry.

Kayleigh finally arrived back in Turnoak a little after eleven o’clock with the snow falling fast again and Jack was looking out the window, as he had been for the previous 90 minutes, when he saw her car pull up, and he was on his feet and sprinting for the front door in a Nano second and was standing on the doorstep before she had even opened the car door.

She slammed the door and ran towards him and he immediately wrapped his arms around her and said
“Thank God you’re here safe”
“Safe in your arms” she said and held him tightly.
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you” he said “I was so scared”

Due to the lateness of the hour and the treacherous conditions and the fact that she had been on the road all day having left Roespring 16 hours earlier, he insisted he should unloaded her bags and take them next door.
“No that can wait until morning, I want to sleep in your arms tonight”

They had a blissfully undisturbed night’s sleep as a result they awoke the next morning rested and very, very contented.
“Morning” he said and kissed the top of her head “Sleep well?”
“Good morning darling” she replied as she rolled over and hugged him “Yes I slept very well”
“Me too”
“In fact only one thing could make it better”
“Oh yes?” he said
“Breakfast in bed”
“Is that right?” he retorted “Taking advantage of my hospitality eh”
“Absolutely” she giggled “but cuddles first”
And as they lay cosily embracing he thought how warm and loving Kayleigh was compared to the Ms. Frosty knickers that he met that first time shortly after he moved to Turnoak.

“It’s stopped snowing” he observed as he peered through the gap in curtains
“Never mind the weather report, where’s my breakfast” she demanded
“Yes ma’am” he said feigning a tug of his forelock

After he delivered her boiled eggs and soldiers he sat and drank his coffee while she ate.
“It’s snowing again” he said
“I suppose I’d better make a move shortly” she said between mouthfuls, “and get while the going is good”

So after breakfast while Jack was outside retrieving her bags from her snow covered car Kayleigh returned to her own house unseen via the kitchen door then he carried them to the house and knocked on the front door.
“Well thank you kind sir” she said then she added in a whisper
“I will see you later, and it’s my turn to make you breakfast in bed”

After breakfast in bed at Kayleigh’s the next morning they spent the rest of the day in each other’s company.
The village was still in the grip of winter and was very quiet because shortly after Kayleigh travelled along it, the road to the village was closed by a snow drift as a result none of their other friends made it back to Turnoak.
The day was a fairly mundane affair as Kayleigh needed to do her washing and ironing so while he kept her company he sat and watched TV.

However the mundanity of the day was more than compensated for by the cosy interludes, which were numerous, and as far from the mundane as it was possible to get.
They wanted to make the most of the time they had to themselves which would be up all too soon as when he left her house on the morning of the 30th of December she was spending the rest of that day at the Vicarage with Katie Watson and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with her husband.

Chapter 14 – New Year’s Eve

Jack considered going to the club to celebrate New Year’s Eve, it was always a busy day and a very lively night but he didn’t really want to, so he stayed at home and sulked and spent much of the day in reflective mood and felt more than a little saddened by Kayleigh’s absence.
The village was shrouded in freezing fog which did little to lift his spirits so he just slobbed around the house and watched old movies,
Not that he was particular big on New Year’s Eve, it was not a time that held any deep significance for him and he was normally feeling a bit jaded by the time it arrived anyway but it was a good earner at the club and that year was certainly going to be no exception
He would have preferred to have spent the evening in the same vein as he had recently, another cosy and intimate day with Kayleigh would have been lovely but there was a very good reason why she couldn’t be with him.
She wasn’t really a New Year’s Eve person either.

Jack wasn’t the only villager facing the prospect of seeing the New Year in alone, Church warden Tony Vassell, church organist Ian Riley and Plaxton Park Matron and all round good egg, Gemma Frost were in the same boat although that wasn’t the plan.
Tony and Ian were supposed to be spending the evening together but during the afternoon Ian received a phone call from Reverend Massey about a change to the New Year’s Day service.
He wanted to include The 18th Hymn for New Year’s Day by Charles Wesley in the service, and Ian was not entirely unfamiliar with it but he hadn’t played it for a while so he wanted to practice it that evening so that left his old friend Tony on his own.

Gemma also had alternative plans for the evening which involved dinner with friends in Purplemere, it was the first New Year’s Eve she hadn’t had to work for three years, so dressed to kill in a new dress and all the accessories, hair, nails and makeover courtesy of Mazzone’s, she walked down the drive and unlocked the car .
“Hi Gemma” Tony Vassell said, making her jump
“Oh goodness” she exclaimed
Tony was just going back in the house after retrieving his book from the car.
After a brief greeting Gemma got in her car and Tony went indoors so wasn’t there to witness the fact that her car wouldn’t start.
“Bollocks” she shouted before getting out of the car again and going back in doors.
First she phoned the RAC but she was told it would be at least 2 hours before they could get out to her, so she then phoned a taxi to take her to Purplemere but she couldn’t get one of those either.

Meanwhile at St Lucy’s church Ian Riley was sat at the organ stubbornly practicing the troublesome piece by Wesley and was cursing Reverend Massey for his last minute change to the New Year program and wished he was at Tony’s place drinking a quality whisky while beating him at chess.
Ian Riley was thin and pale with sandy hair, sharp featured and keen eyed, not entirely unlike a bird in appearance, he was 45 year old and still lived in the house he was born in with his Niece Elise who was only 10 years younger than him, the only child of his elder brother.
When he was 22 years old Elise’s parents were killed in a car crash so Ian suddenly had a 12 year old child that he had to raise.
But he took it in his stride and as they had lived in the same house all of her life they were able to be there for each other without the need to get to know a stranger.
She was now in her mid-thirties and apart from five years living in Purplemere she had lived her whole life in Turnoak with her Uncle and he was delighted when she chose to move back to the village after her divorce.
It was assumed by those who didn’t know him very well that she was the reason he hadn’t married but that was only partly true
Ian had his heart broken when he was young which was why he settled in a Village where he thought he would be safe, where he could indulge his love of music as the Church organist and play chess with his best friend Tony Vassell.

Like Gemma Frost, Tony Vassell was forty six years old and divorced and was born and bred in Turnoak in fact they had known each since nursery school and he also worked up at Plaxton Park though his job was in administration.
The other thing they had in common was the fact that they fancied the pants off each other.
Tony though could do nothing about it because he thought that romantically Gemma was so far out of his league and would never give him a second look in that regard.
After all he was overweight, balding and had the physique of a couch potato even though he was far from being one, and what hair hadn’t fallen out had gone grey.
Whereas she was lovely, a short rotund redhead with a heart as big as her bust size and the persona of one of the angels, so he just admired his neighbour from a distance.

Meanwhile as Gemma stood in front of her hall mirror she smiled at her reflection and winked.
“This is providence” she said out loud “and it would be a shame to waste this outfit”

Martina Wingrove was second in command to Gary Spiers at his company Sound in Spiers and was staying at her sister Anne’s house in Clarence for the New Year celebrations but she told Anne that she needed to go to St Lucy’s in Turnoak to tweak the sound system to make sure everything was all set for the next day.
But that was not entirely true, she needed to go Turnoak that was certainly true but the real reason was that she wanted to see Paul Massey.
So Anne dropped her off just after lunch and was picking her up again at 9 o’clock from St Lucy’s.
She was to the casual observer unmistakable Martina’s sister, just a different build she was also tall, but was slight to Martina’s curvy and her eyes were a darker blue and her straw coloured hair was straight rather than curly and was less unruly.
However what she didn’t know at the time she arrived to collect her sister, was that Martina was in the Vestry kissing Paul Massey.
What she did find though was someone doing battle with a piece by Wesley.
Anne was also an accomplished organist and often played at her church in Clarence, Mary of Bethany.
So as there was no sign of her sister she decided to sit down in one of the pews and listened to the music and when the piece was finished she nodded and smiled and when he emerged from behind the curtain she said
“You really nailed it that time”
“Oh bless me” he said “you scared me”
“Sorry” Anne said and giggled
“That’s ok I just didn’t know there was anyone else here” he said
“How come you’re practising this late on New Year’s Eve?” she asked
“Ah it was a last minute inclusion” he said and raised his eyebrows “And I needed to reacquaint myself with it”
“That makes sense then” Anne said “It’s a tricky piece if you haven’t played it in a while”
“Do you play then?” he asked with genuine interest and sat on the pew in front of her
“Yes I play at St Mary of Bethany” she replied
“In Clarence?”
“Yes” she replied “but alas our organ is being renovated at the moment”
“Oh dear, how long for?”
“We are hopeful it will be completed in time for Easter” she said wistfully “I will be quite rusty by then”
“Would you like to play now?” he asked hopefully, it was so rare for him to have someone to talk to about music let alone church music and even rarer than that, organ music
“Oh yes please” she replied enthusiastically

Ian was sat in a pew with his eyes closed and moving his hands and fingers as if he were playing it when he was discovered
“Now that’s clever Ian” Reverend Massey said “You don’t even need to touch the keys and you can make it sing”
“I wish I could play that well” he said modestly
“So who is playing?” he asked
“It’s Anne isn’t it” Martina said “My sister”
“Oh she’s your sister?” Ian said noticing the resemblance for the first time.
A few minutes later the music stopped and Anne’s face appeared from around the curtain
“Oh there you are” she said addressing Martina “Ian kindly let me play…” she began but stopped herself because she thought completing the sentence with “with his organ” didn’t sound quite right.
“So have you finished playing?” Martina asked with a grin knowing exactly where Anne’s sentence was heading
“I wouldn’t mind a quick two hander” she said “if Ian is amenable”
And Martina dissolved into fits of laughter and Paul had to guide her away.
Ian was completely oblivious to the double entendre, which went straight over his head, but then he was just pleased to have been asked to play a duet by such an accomplished organist.
So Anne and Ian sat at the Church organ and played a two hander while Paul calmed Martina down at the back of the nave by kissing her again.

Gemma Frost had unfortunately been thwarted in her plans for the night due to car trouble.
She was going to spend the evening having dinner with friends in Purplemere, which was the first New Year’s Eve she hadn’t had to work for three years, so she was dressed to kill in a new dress and all the accessories, hair, nails and makeover courtesy of Mazzone’s,
So in essence she was all dressed up with know where to go, that was until she decided to pay a surprise visit on her neighbour Tony Vassell after a couple of large white wines for Dutch courage.

Having completed their duet on the organ Ian and Anne walked slowly through the nave and found Martina and Paul waiting sheepishly by the door.
“Well we had better get going if we’re going to get home in time for Big Ben” Anne said
“Well you’re more than welcome to see in the New Year at Chez Riley” Ian said and before Anne had the opportunity to answer Martina said
“What a great idea, lead the way”
Which had she been allowed to respond herself Anne would have responded likewise.

In the absence of his best friend and chess partner, Tony settled down to a quite evening on his own and apart from bumping into the lovely Gemma when he was putting the rubbish out he hadn’t seen or spoken to anyone.
He had his favourite book to hand, the complete collection of Christmas books by Charles Dickens and he read for about an hour, then he made himself a sandwich and watched TV as he ate it.
It was about an hour later as he was taking his dirty plate to the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
He had no idea who it might be, he certainly wasn’t expecting anyone.
When he opened the door he was surprised to see Gemma Frost standing on the doorstep.
“Hello” he said with genuine surprise
“Hello Tony” Gemma said, “Can I come in? It’s a bit chilly”
“Of course you can” he said fussily “come in, come in”
Once inside she slipped off her coat and walked through to the lounge and Tony thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in her knee-length blue cocktail dress, and she was perfectly accessorized to boot.
“You look lovely” he observed
“Thank you” Gemma said as she sat down “I was going out to dinner in Purplemere but…”
“But?” he asked
“The car broke down” she replied
“Oh no” he exclaimed
“I’m afraid so” she said “And it’s the first New Year’s Eve I’ve had off for three years”
“Oh that’s not fair, why didn’t you knock?” he said “I would have driven you into Purplemere”
“Would you?” she asked
“Yes”
“That’s really sweet” she said and blushed
“So are you on your own tonight then?” Tony asked
“Yes the boys have gone to a party” she replied
“Well I’m on my own as well so would you like to see the New Year in with me?” Tony asked
“I would love too” she replied “in fact I was hoping you’d ask”
“Great I’ll get us a drink then” he said “is wine ok?”
“Perfect” she replied

As Martina and Paul walked up from the church they were desperate to hold hands but they couldn’t do so in public at that moment, she hadn’t even told her sister Anne about her and Paul, although several of her inner circle, as well as most of the members of St Lucy’s Church committee, were aware that they were smitten.
But at that precise moment Anne’s thoughts were not concerned with her sister she was giving her undivided attention to her new acquaintance, Ian Riley.

At Tony Vassell house, after several drinks, as they approached midnight Tony said
“I should be sorry,”
“Why is that?” she asked
“Because you missed out on dinner with your friends” he said “but I’m not in fact I’m rather pleased I got to spend it with you”
“Why?”
“Because I could have been sitting here alone but instead I’m spending New Year’s Eve with an attractive woman, a sexy woman” he said
“Well thank you” Gemma responded and blushed and then added
“Oh look it’s nearly time, I need more wine”
“Ok” he said cursing himself for saying too much as he walked to the kitchen, then he opened the fridge and took out an open bottle of wine.
Tony then filled two large and returned to the lounge where Gemma stood up and walked towards him.
He expected her to take the wine glass from his hand but instead she walked between his outstretched hands and kissed him.
“I think this is the best New Year’s Eve I have ever spent” she said and kissed him again.

“Happy New Year” they all cheered and chinked glasses
“And new beginnings” Paul added and Ian awkwardly kissed Anne’s cheek making her blush
“I… we, have an announcement to make” Martina began
“Oh do tell” Anne urged
“Ok then” she said and took a deep breath, “Paul and I are a couple again”
“Is that it?” Anne asked
“Yes” she said with affront
“Well I already knew that” she said
“What?”
“Me too” Ian added
“Oh God, does anyone else know?” Martina asked and Paul smiled at her discomfiture
“Jack, Kayleigh, Katie, Sarah, Elise, Gemma, Tony……” Ian listed
“Ok, ok I get it” she said “But how does everyone know?”
“Oh come on we’re not blind” Anne pointed out “you look at each other like a couple of love sick cows”
“In fact you make love sick cows look cold and aloof” Ian said and he and Anne dissolved into laughter

They left Martina and Paul at Ian’s house where they could discreetly kiss good night while Ian walked with Anne to collect her car from outside the church then she drove it back to his house to collect Martina.
“There is an organ recital at Abbottsford Cathedral next weekend” he said “would you like to go?”
“Yes that would be lovely” she said “And perhaps we could have dinner while we’re there”
“That’s a great idea” Ian agreed “If you give me your number I’ll call you to firm up”
“There is a card in the glove box with all my details on” she replied
So he opened the box and took out her card and read the details for Anne Wingrove, Deputy Head at Purplemere Park Music Academy.
Ian also worked in a musical capacity but in a much more humble way in the Music department at St Hilda’s Theological College in Grangemount.
“No wonder you’re so good” he said

It was one thirty on New Year’s morning when Anne drove Martina home after Ian’s wonderful New Year.
Perhaps not the start to the year he had planned, it was supposed to be a quiet night in with a friend but he much preferred what transpired but then he began to feel guilty because his best friend Tony had had to spend the evening alone due to his absence.
However his guilt soon melted away when he saw Gemma Frost emerge from his house and a long lingering kiss on the door step followed and Ian smiled.

Chapter 15 – Lovers and Beginners

Jack Morehouse woke up annoyingly early on New Year’s Day and was facing a long day of wishing he was with Kayleigh.
But his long day got longer as he sat in the kitchen during the afternoon drinking coffee and thinking about when he would see her again when he received a text.
In fact it was a long rambling narrative in a series of texts, but the gist of which was that she needed to get away for a few days, and she would be in touch at the end of the week.
He instantly replied and asked her if something had happened but he got no response so he tried ringing her but his calls went straight to voice mail, he then resorted to banging on her front door but she had clearly left already to wherever she had gone and he was distraught because he was very much in love with her, more even than he had previously imagined.
So he did the only thing he could do under the circumstances and that was to kill time at the Waterside Club.

In contrast to Jack’s black mood, for Ian Riley everything in the garden was lovely because he had met and fallen for Anne Wingrove and she had fallen likewise and they were meeting again on Saturday as he was taking her to the organ recital at Abbottsford Cathedral.
But as they emailed back and forth during the week the plans grew more elaborate.

Ian was on his own for the New Year celebrations because his niece Elise was staying with her new boyfriend James Lynch for a few days.
James had risen early as was his habit irrespective of the lateness of the hour they went to bed, he still woke up at the same time he did everyday so he sat in the kitchen, drank coffee and read the paper.
The couple were due to eat New Year’s Day lunch at his sisters in Shallowfield so at nine o’clock he stopped what he was doing and made Elise a cup of tea.
Tea mug in hand he was on his way upstairs to wake her when the phone rang so he stopped and did a U-turn and picked up the phone.
“Hello”
“James?” the voice said “it’s Molly”
“Hi Mol, Happy New Year” he said
“Yes Happy New Year” she responded vaguely
“Is everything ok?” he asked
“No” she replied, “it’s the twins, they’ve been throwing up all night so we thought it best to cancel lunch as a precaution” she continued “I’m sorry to let you down at such short notice”
“Nonsense” James said, “These things happen”
“I suspect it’s been brought on by two much chocolate but just in case it is a bug” she elaborated “Perhaps we could do it another time”
“Of course” he said “No problem”

After he had put down the phone he decided not to continue his journey up the stairs to wake Elise.
As they were now not going out he decided to let her sleep in, mainly so he could finish reading the paper in peace.
But as he sat down at the table he was hit by the sudden realization that as they were no longer dining out he needed to prepare something for lunch.
And then after having looked out the window at the thick freezing fog he settled on a warming hot pot so he started to prepare it.

Once lunch was ready to go in the oven he had a quick peak in on Elise who was still sleeping soundly and then proceeded to read the paper again.

At twelve o’clock he looked in on Elise again and she was beginning to stir so James made her a fresh cup of tea.
He opened the bedroom door and she opened her eyes as he walked in.
“Hi honey,” he said brightly
“I don’t feel well James” she replied
“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern
“I think I have the flu,” Elise croaked so he tested her forehead with the back of his hand and she was burning hot.
So he went into the bathroom and got some max strength cold capsules.
“Take these,” he said as he gave her two with a glass of water and Elise did as instructed
“Now go back to sleep” he said
“What about lunch?” she queried
“It’s been cancelled” he told her and she looked puzzled.
“The twins are hurling,” he said
“Oh” she responded and closed her eyes.
“I’ll go out later and pick up some more tablets” he said
“Ok” she answered and he left the room.

As Elise was laid up in bed and the hot pot lunch had suddenly become dinner he decided he might as well go and kill an hour or two at the Club, that way he could pick up a sandwich for him and the cold relief medicine for Elise on the way.
He rather liked having someone he could look after and he was returning the favour because she looked after him when he was laid up with his knee.

It was such a horrible day and he shivered as he got in the car
“This freezing fog gets right into your bones” he thought
He stopped at a Stephenson’s convenience store on route and got his lunch and the tablets he was after and then carried onto the Club and was surprised to see Jack Morehouse’s car parked by the staff entrance.
There were about a dozen cars parked in all, even though the club wasn’t actually open until Friday night but the clean-up crew was in clearing up after New Year’s Eve.
When he got inside he found Jack in a foul mood so he didn’t stay for long and told Jack he had just popped in on his way to his sisters.

Also out and about on a foggy New Year’s Day was Gary Spiers who was the owner of Sounds In Spiers, who Jack had employed to sort out the Audio Visual system at St Lucy’s, and that was the pretext under which he arrived in Turnoak that day.
But in truth he was there in the hope of running into Hannah Peters, who was the Vergers sister, and the reason for that was that he had fallen for her in a big way.
Unfortunately he was later than he planned and there was no sign of her but he did see her sister the Verger.
“Hello Sarah”
“Hi Gary” she responded “are you here to check on the system or were you looking for my sister”
“The latter” he confessed
“You just missed her” Sarah said “She has her last trial shift up at Plaxton Place today”
“Oh damn”
“Go after her, she won’t have got far, she’s walking to work, it’s a bit of a yomp but she’s a bit nervous so she could use some moral support, and a cuddle I suspect” Sarah said
“Oh ok then” Gary said and gave Sarah a wave as he drove off.

He really liked Hannah but although they made a definite connection after the night Jack put everyone up at White Rose Cottage following the impromptu meeting in Purplemere, they hadn’t followed up on it, not for the want of trying however, but he ran his own business and she was a nurse who worked shifts so things hadn’t gone to plan which was why he took a gamble and drove over to Turnoak.

Just after he passed the sign for Hawthorne he spotted Hannah walking across the road so he sounded the horn and stopped alongside her before lowering the window.
“Do you want a lift gorgeous?”
“Yes please” she said smiling broadly and quickly got in the car.

“Why are you walking?” he asked “on such a horrible day”
“Nervous” she replied, “It’s my final trial shift today”
“I know I saw Sarah at the Church and she told me” Gary said
“I’ll drive you up to the Hospital and keep you company until you need to go in”
“That would be lovely” she said
So Gary drove her up to Hawthorne in silence and once they had come to a halt they undid their seat belts but she just sat there and shivered.
“Would you like a hug?” he asked
“Oh yes please” she replied and launched herself at him an
“Are you really nervous?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I really want this job”
“When will you know?”
“Today” she replied
“Well how about I pick you up at the end of your shift” he suggested
“Would you?” she asked with delight “That would be wonderful”
“Good, then that is what I’ll do, and I will be here to offer a consoling hug or a celebratory dinner or both” he said
“Thank you” she said and proceeded to kiss him, at first it was just a thank you peck but it quickly changed to passion but then she stopped as quickly as she started
“Not here” she said alarmed “Not in the day time someone will see”
It was unlikely that anyone would see given how foggy the day was and after he pointed that out she was content and they kissed again.

After he dropped Hannah at Plaxton Park he watched her all the way safely to the door then he returned to the Village and was going to go and kill some time at Jacks place but not seeing Jacks car outside the cottage he drove past and went home.

James ate his sandwich in a layby about half a mile from the club because he was so hungry, he would have eaten it at the club but Jack was in such a bad mood it would have given him indigestion, so he ate it in the car and then headed home.
When he arrived he went straight upstairs to check on the patient and as he opened the door he could see her stirring
“Hi Elise” he said “How are you feeling”?
“I feel awful” she replied so he felt her forehead again and it was still very hot.
“Time for more medicine” he instructed as he went to the medicine cabinet and dosed her up again.
“Are you hungry?” he asked
“A bit” she croaked
“How about some soup?”
“Oh yes” she replied “cock-a-leekie”
James went down stairs and opened a tin of chicken and leek soup and warmed the contents in the microwave then he took her lunch up on a tray and while she ate it he ran her a bath.
When she finished all of the soup he helped her into the bathroom.
The bed sheets were quite damp from her sweats so he changed the linen while she bathed.

James helped her out of the bath and dried her thoroughly and helped her into her nightdress, which he took from her overnight bag and just as he was getting her back into bed she crossed the room and rummaged in the bag and fished out her cuddly dog.
“I need this” she said and blushed then she got under the crisp clean bedclothes and snuggled down with her dog and he kissed her forehead.
“I love you James” she said
“I love you too” he replied
“You are so good to me” she continued, “I am so lucky”

He was smiling broadly all the way down the stairs after he left his girlfriend on her sick bed.
“She loves me” he said to himself as he put the hotpot in the oven.
Dinner had now become supper for one.

Gary was at home in the shower when Hannah sent him a text, and he got out to read it and he smiled as it read.
“I need a lovely man to take me to dinner, to celebrate”
“I already booked a table” he replied

Because Elise was ill James slept in the spare bedroom and the next day she still wasn’t very well and slept for most of the day and had all her meals in bed.

On the day after Elise was feeling a lot better, her fever was gone and she looked much more herself but James still made her stay in bed for the day, but she had the TV to watch and he supplied her with a stack of DVD’s as well because he had to go into work.
She thought he was being wonderfully kind but the truth was he just thought that was what you did for someone you loved.

Chapter 16 – Music Lovers

Jack had been in work every day since he got the text from Kayleigh and apart from the first day his mood had improved and he stopped taking it out on other people and when James told him that he had Elise laid up ill in his flat he insisted that he went home and looked after her and to take all day Friday off as well and he would cover for him.

It was about an hour after James had finally agreed to go home when he was interrupted by the telephone.
“Hello” he said
“Hello Jack” a quiet voice said
“Kayleigh?” he asked
“Yes it’s me,” she sobbed
“Are you ok?” he queried
“No” she snapped “No I’m not”
He hadn’t spoken to Kayleigh since before the New Year.
Since then he had only had the one communication which was on New Year’s Day he had convinced himself up until then that she had fallen in love with him but he thought that her going away for a few days was due to the fact that she felt guilty for betraying her husband, her severely disabled husband.
“What’s wrong?” he asked
“I so need to see you,” she said
“Ok” he replied suspiciously
“There is something I have to talk to you about, something that has been eating away at me”
“What is it?” he asked not sure if he wanted to know because he was sure it was guilt.
“I should have told you before, but…” she tailed off “now time is running out”
“So tell me already” he said impatiently
“I can’t on the phone” Kayleigh stated, “I need to do it face to face, it’s important”
“Ok” he agreed “when?”
“Can we meet Saturday?” she said
“Yes Saturday is fine” he replied
“Ok then I’ll meet you at the Coachman’s Arms Hotel in Sharping-St-Mary Saturday afternoon at 3.00pm” she said coldly
“I’ll book a room”
“Ok” he said “I’ll see you then”
“Promise me you won’t be angry” Kayleigh added randomly
“What?” he asked with surprise
“Promise me” she insisted
“Ok” he relented “I promise”
And she hung up leaving him completely confused and he was worried that his worst fears had been realised and she wanted to call a halt to their relationship.
But what was all that about promising to not get angry.

On Friday morning Elise was feeling much better and they actually got to spend the day downstairs together like a proper couple.
Elise was very lovey dovey all day, she thought he was some great prize because he had looked after her while his beloved was sweating out a fever in his bed and by 9 o’clock she could barely keep her eyes open so he walked her up to bed.

When Jack turned in that night he spent a very fitful night tossing and turning as he mulled over the conversation with Kayleigh and the usual tingle of anticipation he felt when they were planning to meet had been replaced by feelings of great trepidation.

When Jack got up on Saturday morning he was completely shattered and it took a long hot shower and several coffees to shift his lethargy but he still harboured feelings of dread regarding his rendezvous with Kayleigh.

James was up early on Saturday morning and left for work about nine o’clock and within half an hour of his arrival at the Waterside Club he had a surprise visit from Elise
“Hello hon” he said, “what are you doing here?”
“I just came to say I love you” she replied
“Really?” he asked
“Yes, and I also came to say thank you for looking after me” she replied as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
It was only a brief visit she only stayed long enough for a prolonged kiss before she headed back to Turnoak to change before she went out again.

Ian Riley was thin and pale with sandy hair, he was sharp featured and keen eyed, not entirely unlike a bird in appearance, and was 45 year old.
He lived in Turnoak, in the same house he was born in, which he shared with his Niece Elise, although he didn’t see much of her since she met and fell in love with James Lynch, in fact he hadn’t seen her at all that year.
He was glad for her though and thought she deserved to find love she was far too nice not to have a significant other.
And since New Year’s Eve he had hopes in that department himself after he met Anne Wingrove at St Lucy of Syracuse church, where he was practicing a particularly troublesome piece by Wesley after Reverend Massey made a last minute change to the New Year program.
She was the sister of Martina Wingrove who was the love interest of the new Vicar and when Ian for saw Anne he thought she was unmistakable Martina’s sister, just a different build she was also tall, but was slight to Martina’s curvy and her eyes were a darker blue and her straw coloured hair was straight rather than curly and was less unruly and was a few years older which made her two years Ian’s junior.
There was an instant attraction which was not hampered by the fact that they both had a musical background she was the Deputy Head at Purplemere Park Music Academy while he worked in a much more humble capacity in the Music department at St Hilda’s Theological College in Grangemount.
But the clincher was that they were both Church organists, he at St Lucy’s and she at Mary of Bethany in Clarence.
So before they parted company on New Year’s Eve he said
“There is an organ recital at Abbottsford Cathedral next weekend, would you like to go?”
“Yes that would be lovely” she said “And perhaps we could have dinner while we’re there”
“That’s a great idea” Ian agreed

Following the New Year’s Day service’s at Mary of Bethany which kept her busy all day, Anne found the days passed very slowly and she had never known a week pass at such a sedate pace.
She knew the reason very well, it was because she was looking forward to the Organ recital in Abbottsford on Saturday or more precisely she was looking forward to attending it with Ian Riley and having dinner with him.
In fact she was so eager to see him again that she didn’t want to wait until Saturday evening so she racked her brain to think of a reason for them to meet earlier and the answer came to her when she picked up the Abbottsford Clarion of the door mat because the front page headline was “Wurlitzer Returns”.

On Friday Anne sat down with a mug of coffee and picked up her phone and keyed in Ian’s number.
“Ian, its Anne”
“Hi Anne” he replied hoping that she wasn’t calling to cancel “All set for tomorrow?”
“Well that’s what I’m calling about” she said and his heart sank
“Oh”
“Yes I read in the Abbottsford Clarion this morning that there’s a Clarke Gable retrospective at the Tivoli this weekend”
“That’s interesting” he retorted as enthusiastically as he could considering he wasn’t a Gable fan
“No that’s not the interesting part” she continued “They are unveiling the Wurlitzer”
“Oh yes I forgot about that” Ian said brightly
“Well do you fancy it?” she asked
“Definitely” he replied “But I’m going to be in Abbottsford tomorrow morning so I won’t have time to get back to pick you up so would it be alright if I meet you there?”
“Yes that’s fine I’m staying at my mums tonight anyway” she explained
“So I’ll meet you in the café opposite the theatre at 12.30”
“Perfect” he concurred “See you tomorrow”
“Ok bye Ian” She said and hung up
As she sat and finished her coffee she complimented herself on her deft handling of the situation whilst chastising herself for telling him a little white lie regarding her movements Friday night as she was not in fact staying with her mum that night but her hastily arranged plans would now necessitate her speaking to her mum and inviting herself to stay the night.
She didn’t think that lying was a really appropriate way a starting a relationship but she said out loud
“Needs must when the devil drives”
After all she was rather attracted to him and she hadn’t felt that way about anyone for a few years so it was worth the tiniest of white lies to ensure she didn’t let him slip through her fingers.

The Tivoli theatre was an old cinema originally built in the nineteen twenties.
At that time it was the only cinema for twenty miles in any direction so Abbottsford was the envy of the district, by the late seventies however films had gone out of fashion and the theatre was closed.
It was in disuse for more than ten years, it was however spared the indignity of becoming a bingo hall as many a fine picture house had. When the cinema revival happened, Chris Bourne, a local man made good, who like many, had fond memories of the Tivoli, mainly associated with courting, restored the theatre to its former glory with the help and support of the Mornington Estate.
Ironically it was the advent of satellite television and video rental, supposed to give us all so much choice of home viewing, which seemed to spark the revival.
It was feared for a while that the renovations would be in vain as a new multiplex cinema was opened in the new Phoenix shopping center development.
But Chris Bourne was unperturbed and decided that the Tivoli should specialize in classic movies and retrospectives.
As a result people traveled from miles around, from all over Downshire and beyond, as they did in the twenties and thirties.
The theatre was located in the older part of town in what used to be the high street.
There were no longer any shops of note in the high street, they had long since moved into the Phoenix center and when the Abbottsford ring road was opened the High street was pedestrianized and this action inadvertently created a sort of leisure haven.
Where once the road had run were now benches, planters, ornamental lights and even a fountain.
The vacant shops had for some time been occupied by a collection of restaurants, fast food outlet's, bars, café’s and wine bars.
The only premises not connected to food or drink were charity shops, craft shops, second hand book shops, two art galleries and of course the Tivoli Theatre.

Anne was early, which wasn’t unlike her, but it was worse that day as she was twenty minutes early but as she walked past the fountain she spotted Ian, who was also early.
“He’s keen” she thought to herself and smiled
But after discovering her date was also early she was in a dilemma, should she take advantage of the fact that they were both early or hide behind the fountain for twenty minutes.
It was difficult because she liked the fact that he was keen to see her but she didn’t want to give him the impression that she was equally so, even if she was.
In the end she compromised and hid for five minutes and from the safety of her hiding place she watched him sit at one of the tables in the window of Luigi’s Café just opposite the Tivoli.

Ian sat down at the table and ordered a drink and took out a newspaper but after a couple of minutes a young woman walked up to him, an attractive curvy blonde and they hugged, and it was a long hug then Ian gestured to an empty chair and the woman sat and then they chatted for a few minutes which was when Anne decided she didn’t care what kind of impression she gave him she was going over now to rescue him from the blonde trollop.
So she walked across to the café and in through the door and approached him on his blind side and stopped in his peripheral vision almost immediately he turned around and seemed surprised to see her.
“Hi” She said smiling broadly and he stood up “You’re early.”
“Anne” Ian said and smiled “This is Elise, my nice”

Ian ordered drinks for Anne and Elise and they laughed and joked for the next ten minutes until Ian suggested that he went to buy the tickets while they finished their drinks
“That’s a good idea” She said and while he was gone she quizzed Elise about her uncle

When Ian returned Elise said her goodbyes and as they watched her walk away Anne slipped her arm through his and they turned their gaze upon each other, smiled and made their way across to the theatre.

Chapter 17 – Sad Birdsong

Jack travelled to Sharping-St-Mary by car and misjudged the travel time and reached the Hotel more than an hour early so he parked the car and went for a walk around the Village to kill some time finally arriving at the Coachman’s Arms just before 3.00pm.
He bought a drink and sat down at a table with a view of the door and looked around the bar at the other customers.
Jack looked away when he heard someone enter from reception but it wasn’t Kayleigh so he resumed his perusal of the other guests.
When he first arrived he wasn’t sure if he should go to the bar and order himself a drink or report to reception, he decided on the former but having sat in the bar nursing a drink for 20 minutes he guessed he had made the wrong choice.
So he finished his drink and was on his way to reception when he met Kayleigh coming the other way.
“Oh hello” She said avoiding eye contact
“Hi” he said, “are you ok?”
“Yes” she replied blandly as she looked randomly around anywhere than at him.
“Let’s go upstairs”
Kayleigh turned around and Jack followed her but was beginning to wish he’d stayed at home, she didn’t speak a word for the whole way and they reached the door to the room and still not a word and she opened the door and they entered, still in silence, and Jack closed the door and dropped his bag on the floor.
“What the hell is going on Kayleigh?” he snapped and she turned around and looked him in the eye for the first time and tears started to well up in her eyes and then ran down her cheeks as she sobbed before throwing herself into his arms.
“I’m sorry” she said and buried her tearstained face in his neck and he made encouraging noises and stroked her back but being a shoulder to cry on was the full extent of his expertise and they held that position for some time until Kayleigh’s sobs began to get shallower and shallower and eventually abated altogether, but still she held on to him.

The room was cool as they sat on the sofa and sat there in each other’s arms and he asked
“So what’s going on Kayleigh?”
She didn’t reply she just sat with her face turned away from him.
“Why have you been avoiding me? Why have you been ignoring my phone calls and texts?” he asked
“I’m sorry Jack” she replied
“Earlier you couldn’t even look at me” he said, “What have I done?”
She quickly turned to look at him
“You haven’t done anything” she said and kissed his cheek
“So why did you make me promise not to be angry?” he asked her
“Because I have to tell you something” Kayleigh replied
“That you probably won’t want to hear”
“I don’t understand,” he said
“What won’t I want to hear?” he asked
“It’s about Katie” she said
“The Vicar? What about her?”
“She’s dying” Kayleigh said flatly
“What?” he said
“She’s dying,” she repeated
Jack was stunned into silence and he suddenly felt rather small.
“How?” he asked though it didn’t really matter, he didn’t know what else to say.
“Cancer” Kayleigh said “very aggressive”
“Where?” He asked again for want of something worthwhile.
“Her brain” she replied “to begin with, but its metastasized”
“What’s the prognosis?” he asked hopefully
Kayleigh shook her head in response.
“Is there no treatment?” Jack asked
“Yes but it will only delay its progress and she doesn’t want to prolong it any longer than necessary”
“Doesn’t she want to fight it?” he said angrily
“She has no fear of death” Kayleigh replied, “She knows where she is bound”
There was a prolonged silence as he took in the news and tried to process it and after about 10 minutes he said
“How long have you known?”
“About the cancer, since November, and about her dying she told me when I spent the day with her before New Year’s Eve” she replied
“Who else knows?” he asked
“Just Doctor Anderson, me and the Bishop” she answered and sobbed.
“It must have been hell” Jack said and kissed her forehead and as tears ran down her cheeks and he began to cry.
Obviously Jack had lost people dear to him during his life and had had to cope with the resulting grief, but this was something else, something for which he had no frame of reference.
She was a dear friend and a minister of God, a good and Godly person, an ally against the dark, one of the angels and a force for good.
There was no point asking why the God she loved so much was taking her, and she didn’t question it; she was prepared for it and content with it.
All they could do was be there for her and support her and it would have been the only thing that she wished for, and she could have demanded any number of things and they would have been forth coming because she was so beloved.
But their love and friendship was the only thing she craved, she was content to go then.
All they had to do was agree and they did unreservedly, how could they refuse the dying wish from the most unselfish person either of them had ever met.
Once Kayleigh and Jack had composed themselves it was well into the evening and they were very hungry so they freshened up and went in search of food.

When they had returned to the hotel they were ready for bed and when he had finished in the bathroom Kayleigh was in bed lying on her side and he slipped under the duvet and snuggled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sorry” Kayleigh said “For avoiding you”
“There’s nothing to apologize for” he responded and they lay quietly under the covers until he asked
“Why did you want to tell me here and not in the Village?”
“Because I knew I would breakdown and I would need you to hold me in your loving arms and then I would reveal to the whole village that I love you” she said “and that would be a terrible betrayal of Carl”
“I understand” he replied and for the first time ever they went to sleep without making love.

When morning came they awoke to find they were still in each other’s arms in much the same position as they were when they went to sleep.
It was a unique experience for them to occupy the same bed and not to have made love but it happened nonetheless and furthermore they didn’t make love that Sunday morning either, but only because it was late and he and Kayleigh wanted to get back to the village for the morning service as they were in desperate need of spiritual refreshment.

In the week that followed Kayleigh clung to him like a limpet and only left his side to go and visit Carl and even then they were short visits.
He was grateful for her company however because when he was left alone with his own thoughts he found them uncomfortable companions.

Chapter 18 – An Angelic Solution

So on Saturday morning it was with a feeling of relief and not trepidation that Jack took a phone call from his Solicitor Christine Prunot from Curtis, Mitchel and Lovegood.
After the usual seasonal preamble regarding who did what over Christmas and New Year she proceeded to say that she had received a firm offer for one of his property’s.
His Uncle Daniel had invested heavily in bricks and mortar and he had an extensive portfolio, but when Jack had inherited his estate and found out exactly how large it was he resolved to redistribute a large chunk of his wealth to worthy causes, however a lot of that wealth was tied up in property so he instructed Christine to begin realizing some of his real estate assets and Barraclough Ventures were interested in a large plot of old industrial units in Northchapel.
Under normal circumstances he would have jumped at the chance but after Kayleigh’s revelation and her clingy character in the aftermath of it he didn’t feel able to disappear for a couple of days so he was hesitant to agree to go and meet with the potential buyers.
“I’ll give it some thought and call you back later” he said
“Who was that?” Kayleigh asked
“Christine Prunot” he replied “She wants me to go to Northchapel for a business meeting”
“You’re not going are you?” she asked with alarm
“Well it is important” he said “But…”
“But…?”
“I just had a an idea” he said “we could both go”
“Oh yes” she agreed with relief

Barraclough Ventures head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, so they were meeting Samantha Barraclough and Isabelle Decoene in the Northchapel office.

They decided to stay overnight in a very luxurious Hotel, called the Doll’s House and agreeing to go proved to be the right decision for them, firstly the meeting with Barraclough Ventures, who were planning the regeneration of the former Industrial Power House of Downshire, went exceedingly well and the property sale was settled and secondly on a personal level it was a perfect getaway.

When they got back to the village Kayleigh was much more relaxed and they quickly settled down to the pre New Year routine of splitting her time between Jack and her disabled husband Carl while Jack divided his time between her and the Club.
That was until one afternoon when he was making his way down the stairs and the doorbell rang.
“Ok I’m coming” he called and got to the front door as quickly as possible and on opening it he discovered Kayleigh standing on the other side in tears.
“What’s happened?” he asked as he pulled her into the house and quickly closed the door and she threw herself into his arms.
It was some minutes before she had composed herself sufficiently to be able to speak.
“I’ve just come from the Vicarage,” she sobbed
It was apparently now widely known that Katie was stepping down as Vicar of St Lucy’s and that Paul Massey would be taking over from her but it wasn’t as yet generally known that she was dying.
But this would all too soon become apparent as her condition had begun to deteriorate in the two weeks since he had last seen her.
Katie was determined to vacate the Vicarage and make room for Paul who was trying to establish himself in the village.
He was at that time lodging at the Hen and Chickens, which was not the most suitable accommodation for a man of the cloth or for a layman, not that he would have minded staying there if it meant not putting Katie out of her home.
But Katie was of a mind to go, but she didn’t want to end her days in a hospice, although she had been offered a place at Plaxton Park, she’d spent too many hours at the hospice bedside of sick parishioners ministering to them as they slipped into the next world to want to breathe her last in one herself, and Kayleigh new that feeling herself as she had done it for half a lifetime with Carl.
Paul would willingly let her slip her mortal bonds in her own home but Katie was a practical woman though, and she knew the vicarage was too small to accommodate a hospital bed and all the other paraphernalia required for a terminally ill patient.
So it looked like she would face the end in the one place she most dreaded which is what brought Kayleigh to Jacks door in tears.
And they began to flow once more at the retelling of it.
They sat on the sofa and he consoled her as best he could and then it occurred to him, a light bulb moment, the perfect solution had presented itself.
“What about here?” he suggested,
“It’s a big house and there’s only me”
Kayleigh stopped crying and was staring intently at him
“We could easily get a bed in here with enough chairs for the visitors and the downstairs bathroom is across the hall”
Kayleigh looked around the room and then in the direction of the bathroom when he mentioned it and then back at him
“You would do that?” she asked
“Yes” he replied “of course”
“There will have to be twenty four hour care before the end,” she said
“There is a spare room” he replied
“Katie won’t agree,” Kayleigh, stated, “she won’t want to be a burden”
“What is it about sick people not wishing to be a burden?” he said crossly
“When my time comes I plan on being a burden to all and sundry”
“She’s not you” Kayleigh rebutted
“That’s true enough, I’ll go and talk to her,” he suggested
“We’ll go together,” Kayleigh said
“Ok” he agreed
“She’s resting now but we can go later” Kayleigh said with a nod and there were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence before he put his arms around her and said
“We will convince her because it’s the right thing to do and she is so deserving”

After spending a cold winter afternoon on the sofa with Kayleigh, regrettably they couldn’t dwell there too long as they had a difficult yet pressing task to undertake.
So they left the house and walked the short distance to the vicarage as the snow lightly fell again.
Once inside they had a long, emotional and at times tearful visit with Katie but by the end of it they had managed to persuade her to accept his offer and move into White Rose Cottage as soon as all the arrangements could be made.
After which they left the vicarage emotionally drained and physically exhausted but nonetheless elated at having achieved their objective.

“Well I need to go and see Carl” Kayleigh said when they reached her house
“I’ll leave you here then” he said “I need some essentials from Stephenson’s”
“Ok” she replied “Will I see you later?”
“Of course hon” he almost responded but substituted “Kay” in place of “hon” just in time, Kayleigh blushed because she knew what he was going to say and got in the car, then she said
“I’ll call you”
Jack then walked across to Stephenson’s, he didn’t need much just bread and milk mainly but by the time he had wandered around the shop he had a basket full.

As he was approaching his house a car pulled up outside Gemma’s house and a distinguished looking gentleman got out of the driver’s side and hurried round to open the passenger door.
He then proffered his hand to the passenger who took it without a second thought and he helped the lady out of the car.
The lady in question turned out to Gemma herself who gave him a wave and a smile.
“Hi Gemma” he called
“Jack how are you?” she asked amiably
“I’m fine thanks” he answered and glanced in the direction of her escort
“Oh how rude” she said “Jack this is Craig”
“Craig this is my friend and neighbour Jack Morehouse”
“Nice to meet you Craig” he said and shook his hand
“You too Jack, I’ve heard a lot about you”
“Oh dear” he exclaimed, “Have you known Gemma long?”
“Yes quite a while” Craig said as she opened the front door and stepped in, “She’s my baby sister”
“Really?” Jack said “Well she is much loved in the village because she’s one of the angels”
“Yes she’s always been like that” he said proudly
“Are you visiting for long?” Jack asked
“Just for a few days”
“Well it was nice meeting you,” Jack said
“Likewise” he concurred and they shook hands again

When he got to his front door he noticed the damage on his front step, it had needed attention when he first moved in and he had been meaning to get it sorted but there had been no urgency so he let it slip.
But the frost and ice of winter had made its presence felt and there was a corner broken off one slab and another one was badly cracked, so he would have to get someone to replace them.
It had to be up to snuff with all the comings and goings of the next few months with Katie taking up residence.

When he got inside he phoned a local girl, Emily Bills, who lived on the outskirts of Purplemere and kept his garden in order and she also did hard landscaping.
But he only got her voice mail so he left her a message asking her to come and quote for some hard landscaping work.

Jack replaced the phone on the cradle and went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner so that when Kayleigh returned from seeing Carl he would make them both a delicious Spanish omelette.

On Saturday Kayleigh spent the day with Katie and Jack had such a lazy day that he didn’t even bother to get dressed and the most strenuous thing he did was put a frozen dinner in the microwave.
He did however take a phone call or two, one of which was from Emily Bills in response to the voice mail he left her the day before.
“Hi Emily” he said, “thanks for ringing back”
“Hello Jack” she responded, “I got your message, I trust “Hard Landscaping” isn’t a euphemism for one of your perversions”
“No its not” Jack said laughing “I need you to give me a quote for a new front path and doorstep”
“I can come on Monday morning” she said
“Why do you want a new path anyway?”
Jack explained that the path was in need of repair and that future events required that it be in optimum condition but he was evasive as to the nature of the afore mentioned events.

The other phone call was from Kayleigh, which was much longer in duration than the previous one due to the subject matter, namely the arrangements for Katie Watson’s palliative care.
They had had a prolonged conversation with Katie’s primary physician Carole Anderson who was very receptive and thought it was an excellent solution although she didn’t know Jack as well as Katie and Kayleigh but she had heard good things about him.
Part of the discussion was making the arrangements for when the medical equipment could be delivered and they provisionally settled on the first Monday in February, Dr Anderson would take care of all the details and all Jack had to do was ensure the lounge was sufficiently de-cluttered to receive a hospital bed and all its associated paraphernalia.

He awoke on Sunday morning to find the thaw had set in and the snow was beginning to clear away and as it was Sunday it was time to reacquaint himself with the lord, unfortunately Kayleigh wasn’t going to be with him as she was with Katie.
So he left home early on a bright winter morning and walked alone to the Church, it was a milder morning than it hand been of late but the atmosphere was rather frosty, there were lots of hushed whispers and sideways looks, people talking behind their hands and the like, so by the time he was seated in the church he was not feeling the love after the very unchristian behaviour of the other congregants.
It was apparent that he and Kayleigh were the talk of the village as they had been observed embracing when she arrived at his house in tears, which was ironic really as they were normally very discreet, and on that occasion he did nothing other than comfort her.
It was only when Gemma and Elise arrived that someone actually spoke to him.
“Morning Jack” they chorused
“Hi girls” he said “so you’re talking to me then?”
“Oh don’t mind the small minded” Gemma said giving the Rubber Necker’s one of her looks.

After the service Reverend Paul Massey approached Jack and spoke to him at the back of the church, and they were quickly joined by his girlfriend Martina Wingrove, it was the first time Jack had seen her for a few weeks and she looked wonderful and it really warmed his heart to see the two of them together.
As the minutes passed by more and more of the congregation came and shook his hand or gave him a smile because it was now common knowledge that he had extended his hospitality to the Vicar, so by the end there was just the hard core of village witches who stood their ground and looked daggers at him.

Chapter 19 – Playing Cupid

On Monday morning Emily arrived at White Rose Cottage to quote Jack on the new path and step.
After which she said she would phone him with a price but said that she was quite busy and wasn’t sure when she would be able to fit it in but then he explained why he needed it doing sooner and she said not to worry because she would rearrange the diary.

Afterwards he drove into Purplemere to do a bit of shopping which was when he bumped into Gemma Frost coming out of a very expensive lingerie shop.
“Hello Jack” she said and air kissed him and then she spotted him looking at the designer carrier bag she was carrying.
“No you can’t look at them” she replied to what she deduced was an unasked question
“The thought never crossed my mind” he protested
“But if you’re offering to model them for me I wouldn’t say no”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said
“I’m merely trying to be accommodating” he said and she shook her head disappointedly and then asked
“Have you got time for a coffee?”
“I do” he replied and they went into a coffee house, a nice one, not one of the chains and Jack ordered the drinks as Gemma sat in the corner.
When he joined her she said
“Tongues have been wagging about the length of time Kayleigh has been spending at your house this week”
After a brief pause she continued.
“Until it immerged that you had been discussing the Vicars palliative care arrangements”
“People have nasty minds” he responded
“People don’t know the half of it” Gemma corrected him and gave him a knowing look before adding
“Look I understand, she’s a good looking woman, but…”
“But she’s a married woman” he said
“Yes and she’s lonely and vulnerable” Gemma said “And…”
“And I love her” Jack said
“It’s that serious?” she said shocked
“Yes” he replied “Very”
“Just don’t hurt her” Gemma said and drank her coffee before adding
“That’s an amazing thing you’re doing by the way”
“Not really” he replied and quickly changed the subject
“So who is the lingerie for? Who’s the lucky man?”
“It’s a secret” she replied and blushed
“Really? So it’s Tony Vassell then” he said and laughed
“How did you know?” she asked and laughed too
“It’s all round the village” he replied
“So where are you going?”
“The Burns Night Supper at the Worsted Viper Hotel in Purplemere” she replied at the precise moment Doctor Carole Anderson walked into the coffee shop.
He recognized her immediately, even though he had never seen her out of place before, he had only ever seen her in and around the village.
She looked around briefly and then to Jacks surprise she walked towards them, she was a tall slim woman, wearing a trouser suit,
50 years old, and remarkably attractive, with a warm smile and sympathetic hazel eyes, shoulder length brunette hair.
“Hi Gemma do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course” she replied “have you met Jack?”
“Ah the Good Samaritan” she said and shook his hand “yes many times, pleased to see you again”
“Likewise” Jack said “Can I get you a coffee?”
“A large Americano please”

When he returned to the table Gemma and Carole were talking about the Burns Supper.
“Aren’t you going?” Gemma asked
“No” Carole replied
“Why not?” she asked, “That’s your kind of thing isn’t it?”
“It is yes” she replied “but I don’t want to go on my own”
Gemma looked at her with puzzlement and then said
“Why not? You’re not exactly shy”
This made her blush and avert her gaze but after a few moments she looked back at her.
“I know my ex was a useless husband who abandoned me for his cronies the moment we’d get through the door of any social event but at least he was an arm to hold on to when we arrive” she confessed “So no escort, no supper”
“Well I would offer myself, but even as a Good Samaritan, I draw the line at haggis” Jack said “and bagpipes would be too much to endure even for an evening in your delightful company”
They all laughed and then Carole said
“I thought you already had someone to occupy your arm anyway”
“Yes” he agreed proudly and then added
“There is a solution you know”
“What’s that?” she asked vaguely
“Craig”
“Who?” Carole asked
“Gemma’s brother Craig” he said “I’ve met him and he’s very nice”
“Yes” Gemma replied, “You’d like Craig”
“That’s as maybe but...” she left the sentence unfinished
“But what?” Gemma asked
“I’m a bit old for blind dates” she replied “And I haven’t been on a date of any kind for so many years”
“Is that all that’s holding you back?” he asked
“And I’m not sure I want a stranger knowing where I live” she admitted.
“He’s not a stranger” Gemma said
“Well not to you obviously” Carole said and they sat quietly for a few moments drinking their coffee when a thought occurred to him and he said
“Well if you don’t want him to pick you up at your house you could always meet at my house for pre drinks”
Carole didn’t speak but was considering the merits of his suggestion in silence so he pressed on
“Then you can all head off to Purplemere together”
“Do you think I should?” she asked earnestly
“Yes we do” they replied

Finally when they left the coffee house they air kissed and all went their separate ways and Jacks way took him deeper into town to complete his shopping expedition which took him just over an hour and then he returned to the car park with his purchases.

Chapter 20 – Cupid Strikes Again

Early on Tuesday morning Emily Bills phoned Jack to say that she and Davina would start work on the new path on Thursday but that the materials would be delivered sometime Wednesday afternoon and would he be at home to receive them, so Jack confirmed that he would.
In fact he was going to be home all week and planned to catch up with some email traffic.
After lunch however he did have a call from Dr Carole Anderson, asking if he and Kayleigh could meet her at the village hall at 2 o’clock.
As a result they had an early lunch and walked into the village for the appointed time.
When they approached the village hall they saw Dr Anderson and her receptionist Sarah Peters walking through the gate.
Once inside they found the new Vicar, Paul Massey and his girlfriend Martina Wingrove along with several members from the church committee.
Pleasantries were exchanged and Mrs Baxter, one of the older more unyielding members, even smiled at Jack, it was the type of smile that a baby makes, which you think is cute but it turns out to be wind.
When everyone was seated the business of the day could commence and given those assembled the only item on the agenda was Katie Watson.
First of all he informed them that a new front path was being laid that week, it was suggested that it might be widened to accommodate a wheelchair, but he had already thought of that and it was all in hand.
The front door was already wide enough as was the hallway.
The second item discussed were the arrangements for when the medical equipment could be delivered.
Carole and Kayleigh had provisionally agreed the first Monday in February and between them they had already done all the preliminary work and so it was just the final details to be sorted out.
Although he protested, it was decided a couple of volunteers would come and help him clear the lounge in readiness to receive a hospital bed and all its associated paraphernalia.
One area that took up quite some time to sort out was the nursing care.
The dioceses was to provide 24 hour nursing care for the last weeks but not for the whole period required, so a rota of volunteers would be required and someone to co-ordinate it, the obvious choice for this was Dr Anderson but clearly someone had assist who also needed to be medical so Jack suggested Gemma Frost who was matron up at Plaxton Park.
Equally important as Katie was such a popular person was a visitor’s rota and someone quite strict to administer it, this was a no brainer, so Sarah took this on.
The final item on the agenda was a date for when Katie would leave the Vicarage and take up residence in Jacks house, however short that stay might be.
Katie was keen to do it sooner rather than later and get out of Pauls way.
Paul on the other hand was not eager to hurry her out the door any sooner than was necessary, so they could only narrow it down to the second week of February.
Paul and Martina both volunteered to help her pack or redistribute her things as per her wishes.
Jack was keen that she should be able to surround herself with her personal things so he suggested they should make provision for that when preparing the room.
After that they adjourned the meeting and agreed to meet the same time the following week for a progress report.

Afterwards when almost everyone had left Jack got a chance to speak with Martina alone for the first time since before Christmas.
“I have a confession to make,” She said sheepishly.
“What’s that?” he asked
“I haven’t finished the installation yet” she said and covered her face with her hands.
“Is that all?” he asked
“What? You’re not cross with me?” she said through her fingers
“Of course not” he replied
“But I have no excuse” she admitted “no convoluted set of circumstances that would constitute a noble reason for not doing what I promised”
“You fell in love,” Jack said simply
“Yes I did” She responded blushing
“Well what better reason is there than that?” he continued
“Not very professional though” Martina said hanging her head
“Sometimes life just has a habit of getting in the way,” he said philosophically
“I’m so sorry” she said
“Don’t be silly, it’s not important,” he said “just finish it when you can”
But she didn’t look convinced
“Look, you’re so lucky, you’ve found love, just be happy”
“I am happy,” she said “and…”
“And what?” he asked
“We’re getting engaged” Martina told him.
“That’s fantastic,” he said genuinely
“We’re not telling anyone yet” she explained, “we don’t want to upset Katie”
“Why would she be upset?” he asked
“Well I feel guilty enough that she has to give up her home” she said “To tell her about getting engaged feels like rubbing salt in the wound”
“Katie knows that life goes on” he explained, “Tell her, she will be so happy”

After a kiss and a hug they said goodbye and he and Kayleigh left the church hall and went and tracked Gemma down and told her what he had volunteered her for.
As he suspected she was only too happy to help and promised to make the meeting the next week.

On Wednesday Jack continued in his fruitful correspondence management with gusto, interrupted only by the occasional pangs of hunger, and the promised delivery of building supplies Emily had forewarned him about being deposited on his drive.

Bright and early Thursday morning Davina knocked on the door.
“Hi Jack” she said brightly “Emily’s on her way”
“Davina!! You’re early” he replied
“Yes I know” she said “is the kettle on?”
“It’s not, but come in anyway” he said

Davina was a skinny waif like creature in her early twenties, with short straw blonde hair, in a kind of pixie cut, although it was probably achieved more by accident than design, and she was wearing a baggy tee shirt, leggings and work boots.
As he showed her into the kitchen he thought how confident she was now, with not a hint remaining of that timid creature he first met barely a year before.
After making a drink they sat at the kitchen table and chatted, mainly about her love life, or lack of it.
The mention of love life made him think immediately of Kayleigh and that made him sad because he was not seeing her for a couple of days plus he had to listen to Davina’s woes.
Ian Carr, her ex-boyfriend, was the main topic of conversation, because he wouldn’t accept it was over and kept pestering her.
“The only way to put him off is to find a replacement” Jack said
“That’s easier said than done” she retorted
She would have continued to bend his ear on the subject had Emily not knocked at the back door.

Emily Bills was a pretty woman with weathered elfin features, and short brunette hair, and a wiry muscular physique, but she managed to look feminine, she was not however a girly girl and had always tended to be a tomboy.
She stood five foot eight inches tall, and was slender and lean and she was a townie girl from Purplemere, and was twenty nine years old.

After Emily consumed her tea the girls set about laying the new front path and Jack went into his study and phoned Jacey and James at the club in order to be brought up to speed.
And his study was where he stayed for the best part of the day, only stopping to feed and water the girls.
The weather couldn’t have been better for the job in hand and by the end of the day Emily and Davina had done really well and had got all the foundation work done.
Because the old stepped path was being replaced by one all on the same level, much of the first day was spent building up the level confined within retaining walls, they worked on until 7.30pm to make sure they completed stage one.
As they had stayed so late Jack ordered an Indian takeaway and they sat in the lounge eating off trays on their laps and Kayleigh arrived just in time to join them.

Friday began dull and overcast but the sun soon burst through and was perfect for Emily and Davina to lay the pavers.
Jack didn’t feel particularly sunny though as Kayleigh was going to be spending the day with Carl as it was his birthday.
She always spent the important dates, Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, New Year’s Eve, Halloween and Valentines with Carl up at Plaxton Park even if she didn’t know if he knew she was there or not because Carl was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely, physically and mentally disabled and in need of perpetual care and had not responded to any external stimuli.
So she spent the majority of the day playing him her recordings or reading to him.
While the girls toiled outside Jack pottered about inside the house and made a start packing away a few bits and pieces into boxes and moving a quantity of DVD’s and books into the study so as to be out of sight of more sensitive souls, unfortunately that action reminded him that he needed to tidy in there as he was going to be using it a lot more in the coming weeks.
Apart from providing a regular supply of hot drinks and giving them a hot lunch he worked on tidying the study all day and the girls pressed on outside.
When he stopped what he was doing at four o’clock all the pavers were down and Davina was just hosing off the drive.
So after another successful day all that was needed was for Emily to return on Saturday morning to apply the finishing touches.
When they were getting ready to leave for the day he carried a couple of boxes he had filled out to the garage and then he was just on his way upstairs for a long relaxing bath when there was a knock at the door.
He thought one of the girls must have forgotten something but he opened it to reveal two muscular well tones young men with red hair and heavily freckled faces, the older of the two was in his late twenty and the other one was five years younger.
“Mr. Morehouse?” The older of the two men asked
“Yes” he replied
“We’re the Rooney brothers” the younger one said “I’m James and this is my brother David”
“Oh yes?” he said.
“Yes, we volunteered to help get the house ready for the Vicar” the older brother David said
“Oh ok but I’m not ready just yet” Jack said as he looked beyond them to see that the girls had stopped what they were doing and were giving the boys their undivided attention.
“That’s ok when you’re ready just give either of us a ring” James said and handed him a card
“Ok thanks lads” he said “it will be in the next week or two”
As the boys walked down the new path Emily and Davina watched them all the way and the flicking of hair did not go unnoticed by the Rooney boys.
Jack stood and smiled as the girls and the Rooney’s silently flirted with each other and when the boys finally left, Emily and Davina almost sprinted up to Jack and Emily asked urgently.
“Who were they?”
“Who were who?” he teased
“Don’t mess with me Jack” she said wielding a bass broom
“Oh the Rooney’s you mean” he said
“Tell us more” Davina demanded poking him in the chest
“Ok, ok, they are farmers from Lower Hawthorne” he said
“And…” Emily added
“The older one is David” he replied addressing Emily and then he turned to Davina and added “and the younger one is James”
“And what were they doing here?” she asked
“They are going to be helping to get the house ready for the vicar”
“Really? When?” Emily asked
“That information is on a strict “need to know” basis”
“Don’t make us hurt you” Davina said with a prod
“I’m seeing a different side of you Miss Carley”
“Never mind all that, just spill the beans” she said threateningly
“It’s still to be arranged” Jack said “So you two had better start being nice to me if you want to know when I know”

Chapter 21 – Just What the Doctor Ordered

After closing the front door he suddenly remembered it was Burns Night and more significantly Carole’s blind date with Craig Frost.
The Burns Night Supper is normally held on or near the poet, Robert Burn's, birthday, the 25th January, which that year fell on a Friday.
It was significant in other ways as it was not only Carole’s first blind date ever but it was also her first date of any kind for almost 20 years.
So she was understandably nervous about dating again and unsure she wanted a strange man going to her house so she had taken Jack’s advice and was driving to his house where she would leave her car on his drive and then she could meet Craig and the others in his house for a convivial drink before they set off for the Burns Night Supper at the Worsted Viper Hotel in Purplemere.

So he had a quick tidy round and made himself something to eat then
After dinner Jack decided to open a bottle of wine and put his feet up and watch a DVD while he waited for his guests.
There were only a few DVD’s left in the lounge and the few remaining books he hadn’t packed away that he deemed fit for a Vicars eyes.
He went to the shelf and selected one of his all-time favourites “Where Eagles Dare”.
While he was watching TV and struggling to keep his eyes open he looked at the clock and saw that she would be with him in about ten minutes, and Carole was always punctual, so he thought he ought to be ready.

Right on time Carole arrived and reversed her Cherokee up the drive.
He watched through the window as she came to a stop, switched off the lights and got out.
Jack went to the front door and opened it just at the precise moment she reached it.
Carole was immaculately dressed as usual, but on this time she was in a full length green halter necked designer evening dress and a lavish faux fur shrug.
“Wow” he said, “you look stunning”
“Bless you Jack” she responded “but I’m scared to death”
She handed him the car keys, in case he needed to move it
“You shouldn’t be Carole” he reassured her “Craig will trip over his tongue when he sees you”

“But what if he doesn’t like me?” she asked with panic in her voice
and immediately looked down at the ground, Jack paused and placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head upward until he could look into her eyes.
“He’s going to love you the moment he sees you” he said to her softly
“I hope so” she replied forlornly and flopped down in an arm chair
“I’ll get you a drink” he said and went out to the kitchen where he picked up his phone and selected a number and it was answered in moments.
“Hello” Gemma said cheerfully
“Hi it’s Jack”
“Hello Jack we’ll be over shortly” she said brightly
“Can you come sooner?” he asked
“Why?”
“It’s Carole” he replied and added in a whisper
“Crisis of confidence”
“Oh I see,” she said sagely “I’ll be right over”

Gemma slipped on her shoes and shouted up the stairs to her brother
“I’m going over to Jacks, I’ll see you there in ten minutes”
“Ok” he called back and Gemma crossed the road and walked up the new path and knocked on the door.

“She’s in the lounge” he said “What are you going to do?”
“Massage her ego and ply her with drink until she cheers up”
She assured him and they both laughed and then she went to find her friend
“My God you look gorgeous” Gemma said

After ten minutes of ego massage Carole was in a better frame of mind altogether so when the boys arrived she was feeling very confident but her legs almost buckled when she saw Craig and Gemma gave Jack a smug look.

Well after a drink or two it was time to go and they left the house so Carole took Craig’s arm as they walked down the path to Tony’s car and never looked back.
“Have a great time all of you” he called after them

After closing the door he resumed his seat and refilled his glass and after taking a mouthful of wine he leant back into the cushions and promptly fell asleep.
He woke up just after ten o’clock, and the only reason he woke up then was because he needed a pee.
So he got up and attended to the matter in hand and when he finished attending to his call of nature, he was decidedly peckish so he went to the kitchen and made himself a snack, then he returned to his sofa, restarted the movie he began watching several hours earlier and sat eating cheese and biscuits’ as he watched Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood taking on the Nazis.
But alas before the end of the film he was asleep again, and this time when he woke up it was almost one o’clock and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to find Kayleigh sitting next to him on the Sofa.
“Hello” he said “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight”
“So I can see” she retorted with a smile and a glance at the empty wine bottles and dirty glasses on the table.

Jack had just finished explaining about the pre Burns Night drinks and Carole’ crisis of confidence to Kayleigh when there was a knock on the front door.
Jack looked at Kayleigh and then checked the clock before he got up and walked out into the hall, then he opened the door and a rather tipsy Carole almost fell through it.
“Hello Jack” she said with a flourish.
“You had a nice time then” he said as he helped her into the house.
“I had a wonderful time” she exclaimed extravagantly.
She tottered a few steps then kicked off her shoes, which made her a little more stable on her feet, and she quickly progressed into the lounge.
All the while talking nine to the dozen about how marvellous the evening was.
So much for the crisis of confidence, little miss insecure was now nowhere to be seen.
“So Craig did like you then” he asked as she plopped down on the sofa.
“He did,” she said smiling
“And you like him?” Kayleigh asked
“Yes” she replied coyly
“Good” they said as they sat down either side of her
“So what are you doing here then?” Kay asked with a furrowed brow
“Well I saw Jacks lights were still on from the taxi so I thought I’d come and tell you all about my evening” she explained.
“Why were you in a taxi?” Jack asked, “Why didn’t you come home with the others?”
“Tony booked a room for him and Gemma at the Hotel as a surprise” Carole said and added wistfully “very romantic”
“You could have got a room with Craig” Kayleigh suggested
“No I couldn’t,” she said indignantly
“What kind of a woman do you think I am? I couldn’t do that on a first date, and I don’t think he could either, I’ll have you know that Craig Frost is a gentleman”
“So why didn’t Craig bring you home then?” Jack asked
“Well he was over the limit so he couldn’t drive and although he offered I thought it might be a bit awkward, to have him ride all the way over in the cab and then go all the way back” she explained at length
“And it would have been cruel to tantalize him with my gorgeousness for the whole journey only to dash his hopes”
This lengthy explanation bought about a burst of laughter and when she eventually composed herself she was almost laying with her head and shoulders on Jacks lap.
“That still doesn’t explain why you came here” Kayleigh pointed out
“Duh” she exclaimed “to pick up my car”
“And you can’t think why that might not be appropriate?” Jack said and Carole adopted a demeanour of intense concentration as she wrestled with the question and then her features relaxed and she said
“I’m pissed”

After a cup of coffee it was decided that for appearances sake Carole would spend the night at Kayleigh’s as it was too far to drive her over to Clarence at that time of night.
But before they departed Carole needed to spend a penny and while she was using the facilities Kayleigh said
“I was hoping for a rather different end to the day”
“I’ll make it up to you” he said and kissed her
“You better had” she retorted as they heard the lock turn and a moment later Carole emerged.

Chapter 22 – Clearing the Decks

On the morning after the Burns Night Supper, following the unexpected visit of Kayleigh to enflame his passions and Carole to dampen them, Jack awoke about midmorning.
So he got up and showered but went downstairs in his bathrobe and put the kettle on before dressing.
He had just filled the kettle when there was a knock on the front door.
“Who’s that?” he asked himself
“My God” Emily said as he opened “you do know it’s nearly the afternoon”
“Shut your face” he responded “I had a late night”
“I can’t imagine what you were doing” she said and then gesturing towards the Cherokee added “is this the lucky princess’s carriage?”
“No it’s not” he replied indignantly “I don’t know where you get these ideas from, “Cinders” went to the ball”
“So who does this beast belong to?”
“It’s Doctor Anderson’s, she went to the Burns Night Supper with Gemma last night” he explained “She obviously went straight home last night so I’m dropping it off for her later”
“I just knocked to say I’m going to be a couple of hours finishing off” she said
“Ok I’ll leave the door on the latch so you can use the facilities” he said and closed the door.

Meanwhile next door at Kayleigh’s they had also begun the day late and things were far from calm.
“What am I going to do?” Carole said panic stricken “What will people think of me”
“About what?” Kayleigh asked
“About this” she stated indicating the fact that she was wearing the same clothes from the night before “People will think I’m doing the walk of shame”
“Well don’t panic” Kay said
“Don’t panic! Don’t panic! It’s alright for you” she shouted “everyone already knows what you’re like”
She was of course referring to the fact that she was having an affair behind her “vegetable” husband but the moment she said it she regretted it.
Kayleigh left the room and let Carole stew in her own juice, she knew she didn’t mean what she said but it still smarted.

Jack was just putting on some clothes when his phone rang and he smiled when he saw it was Kayleigh
“Hello gorgeous”
“Hey Jack” she said in monotone
“Ok what’s wrong?”

After five minutes on the phone they hatched a plan that would get the good doctor out of what she perceived as a predicament.
So Kayleigh returned to the spare room carrying some clothes in her arms.
“The leggings and sweater should fit you although I’m a different shape to you” she said handing Carole the clothes “I can’t help with footwear because we don’t have the same size foot”
“You’re a life saver” she said and hugged “And I’m sorry for what I said”
“Get dressed” she said and left the room again, this time she returned carrying a bin bag “Put your clothes in this”

As luck would have it Kayleigh had an internal door from her hall to the garage so it was easy to get Carole into the car unseen and concealed and at the same time Jack left his house
“Hey Emily” he called “I’m going to drop the Doctors car off”
“Ok” she replied
“I’ve left the door on the latch for you” he added “if you’re done before I get back can you lock it?”
“Sure thing” she replied
“The path looks great by the way” Jack said “but we’ll have to re-landscape the garden now”
“We?” Emily said “I will have to re-landscape”
“There’s no “I” in team Emily” he replied “See you later”

About two miles outside the village there was a secluded layby where they could exchange their cargo before continuing to Clarence and when they reached there Jack drove the car onto her drive and Carole said
“The remote for the garage is in the glove compartment”
Jack found the clicker and opened the garage door as instructed and drove in, then closed the door behind him.
“Home safe and sound” Jack said and Carole burst into tears.
“Hey it’s ok, there’s no need to get upset”
“But there is, I was really nasty to Kayleigh” she sobbed

When he got her to calm down they got out of the Cherokee and went into the house safe from prying eyes and they emerged in the kitchen where she said
“Make a drink darling while I get Kayleigh”
So he boiled the kettle and made them coffee and he was sat on a stool drinking his when Carole and Kayleigh joined him in the kitchen about 15 minutes later and it was clear that they had both been crying.
It was also clear that they had cleared the air and they spent the rest of the day talking at length about relationships and in particular Kayleigh and Jack’s.

When they left Carole’s house it was into the evening so they stopped at the Rose and Crown in Clarence and had dinner and when they got back to Turnoak they went into White Rose Cottage and he made good on his promise to make it up to her for the night before.

On Sunday they were hoping it would be predominantly a day of rest, but they did plan to go to church however, but afterwards, even though they didn’t intend to, the pair of them ended up lunching with Elise at the Hen and Chickens.
One of their usual companions, Gemma still hadn’t returned from Purplemere after the Burns Night Supper and with her Uncle Ian naturally preferring the company of romantic companion Hannah Peters, she was at a loose end so they decided to lunch with her to cheer her up.
But it soon became apparent that she didn’t need it, she was delighted that her Uncle had found someone at long last, and that her friend Gemma had met a man worthy of her and her enormous heart and as for herself she was desperately in love with Jacks friend and colleague James, who she never stopped talking about.
But Jack and Kayleigh were rewarded for their consideration with a very enjoyable lunch in very good company.
After the meal they were joined by another loved up friend, Martina Wingrove who was romantically involved with the new Vicar and the verger Sarah Peters who was the only one of the group as yet unattached though she was in love.
But her heart’s desire, Jacey Linton, another of Jacks friends and colleagues had as yet not done anything about their obvious mutual attraction.
For Sarah’s part she was embarrassed by her drunken behaviour when they all met up in Purplemere before Christmas and didn’t think he would be at all interested in her as she had been so embarrassing.
That was not however how Jacey thought at all, he didn’t find her embarrassing in the least bit, he thought she was lovely, what was holding him back was the fact that because she was so lovely in his eyes she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone ordinary like him.
However just because Sarah was not in a relationship she still delighted in everyone else’s good fortune, Jack resolved that day that he should begin giving Jacey a little nudge in Sarah’s direction.
Martina was in a particularly ebullient mood as a result of her engagement to Paul.
Suffice is to say they were all in the pub considerably longer than anyone originally intended, in fact the session only ended when Paul came to meet Martina and take her to spend the afternoon with Katie.

When Kayleigh and Jack finally got back to his cottage they sat down on the sofa to enjoy a quiet and restful afternoon and within a minute or two she promptly fell asleep on the sofa while he was making drinks and he was quite tired himself so he put the drinks down and scooped her up in his arms and carried her up to bed and they stayed there until morning.

On Monday morning he left Kayleigh in bed and drove over to the club for what was going to be the last time for a few months.
Since his semi-retirement he had restricted his visits to the club to one or two a week so he could keep abreast of things and sign any important documents but with his priorities having to change due to Katie taking up residence they would have to meet him at the cottage instead, which was one of the reasons he wanted to get the study up to spec.
James and Jacey had no problem with the new arrangements, not that he thought for a moment that they would, but as he drove back to Turnoak he still had the overwhelming feeling of “Mission accomplished”

His reason for wanting to clear the decks so to speak was because Tuesday was the day of the meeting at the Church Hall to make the final arrangements regarding Katie Watson’s palliative care.
And as a result he wanted to ensure he had no more demands on his time than was necessary.
His February schedule was pretty clear save for his 40th birthday, which he was hoping would be rather low key and Valentine’s Day which would probably be much the same owing to the fact that the love of his life was a married woman.

Just after one o’clock on Tuesday there was a knock on the door and when he opened it he found it was Hannah Peters.
“Hey Hannah”
“Hello Jack” she responded and they embraced.
“You’re early” he added, “have you come for lunch?”
“I’m early because I came straight from work” she said “But if lunch is on offer”
“Of course it is” Kayleigh said emerging from the kitchen.
So they had a bit of lunch together and then they walked down to the church hall together.

The meeting wasn’t long in duration as all those previously tasked with particular elements of the overall care plan had completed each one with meticulous thoroughness.
The Rotas’ of every description were compiled and a timetable had been drawn up with teams of volunteers at the ready.
The only fly in the ointment was that the medical equipment was to be delivered on the 1st of February, Jack’s birthday, which wasn’t a problem as far as he was aware until Kayleigh piped up confidently and said
“You’re away from home on your birthday aren’t you?”
And kicked him under the table.
However the news of this detail failed to raise even a flicker of concern with the committee who took it all in their collective stride and said it would be taken care of and he could go off and celebrate his birthday without a care as on his return he would have a day or two of normality before Katie moved in on the 4th.

After the meeting, Hannah said goodbye and headed home which, since she got a job up at Plaxton Park was at her sister Sarah’s house and Jack waited for Kayleigh to leave the hall so he could have a word with her.
When she appeared she gave him a wonky smile and said
“Well I think I got away with that”
“Barely” he exclaimed “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise” she replied
“Oh it was a surprise alright” he pointed out
“Sorry”
“So where am I going for my birthday?” he asked
“Oh I can’t tell you that” she said “Because…”
“Don’t tell me, it’s a surprise”
“Exactly”

When he reached home he had a feeling of complete peace of mind, on the subject of Katie’s care at any rate, and intrigue as to what Kayleigh had planned for his birthday.
And this question occupied him a lot as he was alone with his own thoughts for a couple of days.
He did take a moment during his reflections to pick up the phone and ring Emily Bills.
“Hello!”
“Hi Emily its Jack”
“Oh hi Jack
I have some news that may be of interest to you”
“Oh yes?”
“The hospital bed is being delivered on the first” he said
“Um ok” she responded “Did I need to know that?”
“Well I think you do because in order for the Hospital bed to fit in my lounge all the furniture needs to be moved out” he explained
“I still don’t understand” Emily said
“Ok then this might change your mind, the furniture is being moved by a couple of farmers from Spade Oak Farm” Jack said and a few seconds later she squealed
“The Rooney’s”
“I thought the penny would eventually drop” Jack said and laughed
“That’s a coincidence, Davina and I were planning on starting the re landscaping on that day”
“That is a coincidence” he agreed “Maybe you could make use of a couple of burly young unattached good looking farmers”
“I could certainly make use of David” she retorted followed by a dirty chuckle.

Chapter 23 – When the Cats Away Lovebirds Play

Jacks fortieth birthday was on the 1st of February but as he was going to be away on the day itself they threw a birthday bash at Hen and Chicks on the night before.
As a result he was later leaving the house the next day than he intended carrying his overnight bag which he threw into the boot alongside Kayleigh’s which she put in there the night before.
He then drove to the doctor’s surgery and left his bunch of house keys with the receptionist, Sarah Peters, before continuing on his way to Plaxton Park.
She had been visiting with Carl all morning but she had finished and was waiting in reception by the time he got there.
Kayleigh got in the car and wished him a happy birthday but without a kiss, not even one on the cheek.
She just urged him to get a move on because the day was wasting, “places to go” she said
So at eleven o’clock, the two of them set off in the car, although only one of them knew the destination and it wasn’t Jack.
He was completely in her hands, Kayleigh gave him directions and he drove.
It was his birthday treat which she had planned to the last detail, none of which she had told him, so he continued to drive on following her every instruction.
With each twist and turn he tried to guess their destination as she chattered away, but every time he thought he might know she took him down another country lane, so in the end he gave up and decided to just enjoy the company and the scenery.

Just about the same time they were leaving Hawthorne, David Rooney arrived at the Doctors surgery to collect the keys to White Rose Cottage and then ten minutes later he and his brother Jimmy’s Land Rover pulled up on Jack’s drive.

Twenty minutes later Emily Bills was driving through the village towards Jacks cottage and found that they couldn’t park on the drive.
“Who on earth is that parked in our space?” Davina asked indignantly
“That young lady is the Landrover from Spade Oak Farm” Emily answered
“Well it’s in our space” Davina told her grumpily
“Spade Oak Farm is where the Rooney’s come from” Emily explained
“Really?” she said
“Yes” Emily confirmed
“Block them in then” Davina said and chuckled

The Rooney family were farmers from Spade Oak Farm from Lower Hawthorne on the Clarence side of the village, the farm had been in the family since the end of the Second World War and would be for many years to come because 30 year old David and his 23 year old brother Jimmy were going to take on the running of the farm when their father Mike retired.
Their father had every confidence that they would do a great job with the farm however their mother worried about the future as there were no women in their lives.
Dave and Jimmy loved being farmers and they never saw a time in their futures when they would cease to be farmers.
Unfortunately it was not a lifestyle that appealed to everyone and young girls, even from a rural community were not always enamoured by farming or the prospect of being a farmer’s wife.
The other problem was even if they could find someone who didn’t mind farming, they didn’t necessarily fit their criteria.
The Rooney brother’s weren’t interested in the lacy bits of fluffiness who spent more on their hair, eyebrows and nails than they Dave and Jimmy did on their cars and the amount they spent on clothing was shameful.
So the reason they were single was because they hadn’t found anyone to fit the bill however they were very encouraged when they met two gardeners who were both attractive and clearly not afraid of hard work or getting their hands dirty.

The reason David and Jimmy’s Landrover was parked on Jack Morehouse’s driveway was that they had been volunteered to clear all the furniture from Jacks lounge and move it to his garage as the hospital bed and its associated paraphernalia were being delivered that day.

Emily Bills had been given the heads up by Jack that the Rooney’s were going to be at the house on that day because he had noticed the mutual attraction between the gardeners and the farmers, but Davina was completely in the dark until they arrived and was a tad miffed to be honest as she would have made herself a bit more presentable in order to make a good impression if she had known.
But those thoughts soon evaporated the moment she saw Jimmy Rooney emerge from the front door at one end of a sofa.

Jack and Kayleigh eventually arrived in Sharpington-By-Sea on a sunny and unseasonably mild day and he still wasn’t sure if that was their final destination, or if they would press on beyond the quaint seaside town towards Pepperstock Bay until Kayleigh shouted
“Turn right”
“What here?” he asked
“Yes” she answered so he followed her instructions and drove along the promenade until she said
“Stop”
And he parked the car opposite the Seaview Hotel.
“Are we here?” he asked
“We are?” she replied apprehensively “Is it ok?”
“Yes, yes” he replied “I’ve never been to Sharpington before and I’ve always wanted to, and the Seaview is legendary, how did you know?”
“Are you just saying that?” she asked
“No I’m not” he said “it’s perfect, thank you”
Jack kissed her lovingly and then they got out of the car and retrieved the bags and crossed the road to the Hotel.

“May I help” the receptionist asked
“Yes Mr and Mrs Turnoak, there is a suite reserved in the name of Parkes Reproductive Enterprises”
“Yes Mrs Turnoak, everything has been taken care of and the account has been settled in advance” the receptionist said with a smile and handed her the key.

For the first hour after Emily and Davina arrived at Jack’s cottage they merely flirted silently with the boys from a distance as they moved the furnishings from the house to the garage but the status quo had to be broken and it was Jimmy Rooney who took the decisive step when it was time to break for lunch.
“Come on David action stations” he said and marched down the path
“Why?” Dave asked suspiciously
“Hi girls we’re just off to get some lunch” Jimmy said “Can we get anything for you?”
“Oh yes please” Davina replied a little too eagerly “I could come with you”
“Me too” added Emily
“Great” David said “We could get lunch at the pub then”

At the same time Jack and Kayleigh had just checked in at the Seaview Hotel in Sharpington and went upstairs to their suite, Kayleigh had booked them into the bridal suite, complete with four poster bed and a fantastic view of the Sea, and from their room it was a particularly fine view.
“So Mr and Mrs Turnoak?” he asked
“Do you mind?”
“No, I like how it sounds” he confessed
“I just wanted to pretend for one night” she explained “that we were a proper couple, who were so much in love that Mrs Turnoak took her husband away to an expensive Hotel for his 40th birthday”
“I don’t have to pretend that I love you Kayleigh, but I really like the idea that we’re married” he replied and with a huge smile on her face she threw herself into his arms and they kissed.
In fact the only thing that he liked the idea of more than being married to Kayleigh was christening the four poster bed later that night.

The farmers and the gardeners sat in the bar of the Hen and Chicks eating burger and chips and chatting about what they were all doing at White Rose Cottage
“Well after we put in the new path Jack asked us to re-landscape the front garden in time for the Vicars arrival” Emily explained “And she arrives on Monday so we’ll be here until the jobs done, and there’s a lot to do”
“We’re only here for today” David said disappointedly
“That’s a shame” Davina said and then blushed when she realized she had said it out loud.
“We could use a couple of strong men to help with the top soil” Emily said with no presence of a hint
“Well I think we might know of a couple of likely candidates who would be available for at least part of the time” Jimmy offered

While the seeds of love were beginning to germinate in the Hen and Chicks it was very much in full bloom in Sharpington where Jack and Kayleigh were also enjoying lunch, but in their case they were sitting in the promenade café on the seafront.
It was very busy in the cafe considering it was midweek and out of season but they didn’t really notice the other customers.

On the post lunch walk back to the cottage the farmers and the gardeners were feeling very pleased with how the day had progressed and were very hopeful that they might now be able to make further progress in the coming days.
“What do we owe you for lunch?” Emily asked as they walked back
“Nothing” David said “it’s our treat”
“Thanks we like treats” Davina said and blushed again and everyone laughed

After lunch for Kayleigh and Jack meant going for a long walk along the promenade.
Sharpington-by-Sea was a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, and the seafront Hotel’s including the Seaview Hotel.
So in short all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
Which was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but was still great fun.
But there wasn’t an awful lot going on in Sharpington on a February Tuesday as most of the amusements were closed the fun park only opened at the weekends throughout the winter, but they didn’t care they were just content to be able to walk along holding hands in broad daylight and not care if they were seen.

They walked along the promenade with a gentle breeze blowing off the sea and Kayleigh reminisced about the times she had been to the seaside when she was little and she talked about the places in the town that held special memories for her.
The Ghost Train in the Fun Park, Sharpington Day Parades, Halloween Fright Nights, Firework displays, Candy Floss, sand castles, paddling in the sea and of course Bizzoni’s Ice Cream Parlour on the Pier.
“A visit to Bizzoni’s Ice Cream Parlour is an absolute must” Kayleigh said as they approached the pier,
“It just isn’t possible to come to Sharpington and not sample their homemade ice-cream”
“Then I think we had better go in then” he said eager to begin making memories of Sharpington together so he had a rather extravagant chocabockerglory while Kayleigh went for a much more restrained Raspberry ripple and when they had eaten their ice creams they walked along the pier in the late winter sunshine.

After their lengthy constitutional they we went up to the suite, then lay down on the four-poster bed with Kayleigh draped half across him with her head on his chest and as he stared up at the canopy they both fell asleep.

Much to their mutual dislike there wasn’t much conversation between gardeners and farmers up at White Rose Cottage during the afternoon as the boys had to make up the time they had spent at the pub with the girls and no more than a minute or two after they had finished in the house the van with the medical supplies arrived and that kept them busy for over an hour and by the time they were done and the truck was leaving Emily and Davina were packed up for the day and stood by the van.
“Are you done for the day?” David asked hopefully
“We’re done here” Emily replied “but we have another job at Lower End we have to do today and then we’re finished”
“We’ll be getting the cows in by then” Jimmy pointed out
“Will we see you tomorrow then?” Davina asked hopefully
“Absolutely” David said “When do you want us?”
“Right now” Emily said in her head but aloud she replied “We will be here at eleven”
“We will see you at eleven then” Jimmy said and the brothers got in the Landrover and as soon as Emily drove away they reversed off the drive.

By the time Jack woke up the room was in darkness so he checked his watch and there was still time to have a long soak in the bath, together of course, so he slipped out from beneath her and went and ran the bath which was huge and would easily accommodate them both.

When the bath was ready he went and kissed Kayleigh awake and said
“Come on sleepy head, I’ve run us a bath”
“Oh lovely” she retorted sleepily and Jack undressed and got in the tub.
A few minutes later she joined him in the bathroom wrapped in a towel
“No funny business” Kayleigh said as she stepped in and discarded the towel
“Why’s that” he said
“No time” she said and she lowered herself into the water between his legs, then she leant back against him as the hot water lapped up over her.
“We have a table booked for eight o’clock”
“Do we?” he asked
“Yes we do” she replied
“Where?”
“The Diamond in the Rough” she replied
“Really? I’ve heard good things about that place” Jack explained
“Yes I thought it quite appropriate, the rough bit anyway” she said and then she giggled
“You’re spoiling me” he admonished her
“I’m really not” she replied still giggling
“The bridal suite, a Michelin starred restaurant” he corrected her
“Don’t be silly she said it’s a big birthday” she assured him “and it’s important to treat the elderly when you can”
And then she dissolved into fits of laughter.

Chapter 24 – While the Cats Still Away

They lay in the soapy water until it started to get cold and then he watched with lustful eyes as her body emerged from the water and then Jack stepped out to leave her to wash her hair under the shower.

After Kayleigh had washed her hair she left the bathroom swathed in towels and Jack went back in to shave.
He turned the hot water on and filled the basin and lathered up but halfway through shaving he became curious to know what she was doing when the hairdryer stopped so he craned his neck to look through the gap in the door and he could see her stunning reflection in the mirror and he sighed before finishing his shave, then he cleaned his teeth and applied his aftershave.

Jack emerged from the bathroom just in time to see Kayleigh, wearing a little black dress, walking through a freshly atomized cloud of perfume.
Then with the final touches applied she sat on the bed and watched Jack as he dressed.

As they walked through reception Jack felt exceeding proud to have such a beautiful woman on his arm and as they approached the restaurant he turned to her and said
“I love you Mrs Robinson”
In response Kayleigh smiled and kissed him.
“I love you too” she responded “old man”
“Old man?” he exclaimed as he watched her walk through the door ahead of him.
“Come on, keep up granddad” she called.

They were seated in a quiet section of the restaurant and the meal was wonderful and it was such a special evening and then just before the starters arrived she took a little package out of her handbag and put it on the table in front of him.
“Happy birthday darling”
“You didn’t need to get me a present, you’ve done so much already, you’ve already given me the best present I could hope for just by being here with me” he said and squeezed her hand.
“Well you’ve got a present too, so open it” she said and Jack smiled and did as she said
He tore off the paper and opened the gold embossed box inside and it contained a gold angel wing pendant inscribed on the back
“To the angel in my life. K”
“It’s lovely” he said and took hold of her hand “But I’m not an Angel”
“You are to me” she said “you came into my life like an Angel and made me feel alive again, in fact you made me live again, so you are definitely an Angel to me, and I’m really proud of you,”
“For what?” he asked
“What you’re doing for Katie Watson,” she explained
“It was the right thing to do,” he said simply
“It was the kind of thing an Angel would do” she said
The thought never crossed his mind that he was doing anything extraordinary he really was doing it because he could and because it was the right thing to do.

The delicious meal certainly lived up to his expectations and even surpassed them but to spend a romantic evening in a public place with the woman he loved so desperately was the pinnacle of the evening.
In fact the two of them were enjoying the experience so much that they didn’t want it to end and they were the last customer to leave and they had both drunk more than they were accustomed to.
“Come on then Mrs Turnoak let’s get you back to the bridal suite” he said
“Don’t assume you’re getting lucky in that four poster just because it’s your birthday” she said aloofly
“Sorry I must have misread the situation, I thought you had been looking at me with a lustful leer for the last hour” he said
“That was indigestion” she replied
“Oh fair enough I’m quite tired anyway” Jack said casually
“What do you mean “Fair enough”” Kayleigh called after him
“What I meant is, it’s alright I’m a bit full, maybe tomorrow” he said and carried on walking
“You’ll soon change your tune once I get this dress off and you see what else I got you for your birthday” she shouted
“Come on then gorgeous and I’ll let you show me your black silk teddie” he called and she tottered towards him
“How did you know?” she asked
“I peeked while you were washing your hair” Jack said
“You perve” Kayleigh said and blushed crimson red “what do you think?”
“It’s nice but I’ll let you know more when you get the dress off”
He said and then she kissed him.
A few minutes later they crossed the foyer of the hotel
“Happy birthday to me” Jack said and they stepped in the lift

On the morning after Jacks birthday treat they woke up too late to avail themselves of the full English breakfast so instead they got themselves ready and checked out and planned to stop for lunch on the way home although they hadn’t settled on where.

It was the 2nd of February, Candlemas day, the festival of the purification of the Virgin Mary, which marked the last day of Christmas.
Falling midway between the winter and spring equinox it was a time for looking ahead at the bounty ahead.
Jack thought it was quite apt because he felt their time away was like the end of one chapter and beginning of another.

Because they had to cross the Finchbottom Vale to get home to Turnoak from Sharpington there were numerous possibilities ahead of them because the Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.
The Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.
But over the many centuries the vast majority had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was Purplemere which was where Jacks Waterside Club was situated.
But in the end it was a different waterside that they had decided on as their destination, The Waterside Inn which was located in the Dulcets
which were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet-on-Willow, Dulcet St Mary and Dulcet Green, to name but a few, and of course Dulcet-on-Brooke which was where they decided to head.
The Waterside Inn wasn’t the best eatery in Dulcet-on-Brooke that particular honour fell to the Cloche Hat but they were in the mood for pub grub.

When they first reached the Dulcets they parked on the outskirts of Kings River Woods which was a large forest between Sharpington and Dulcet on Brooke, they figured that if they parked up by the forest it would encourage them to take a walk after lunch.
As they walked towards the village they got a fantastic view of the magnificent spire of St Timothy’s Church, although to be fair, as they were to find out later, there weren’t many places in the village that you couldn’t see the spire from.

The food at the Waterside was quite delicious, not as good as the Diamond in the Rough the night before but delicious nonetheless, and they were well and truly stuffed and they both felt too fat for a walk really but that really underlined how much they needed the exercise so they roused themselves and set off, but they had only gone about fifty yards when Kayleigh stopped dead in her tracks.
“Oh shit”
“What’s the matter?” Jack asked
“Yvonne Wells” she replied
“Who’s Yvonne Wells?”
“Her son Gavin is in the room next to Carl, he crashed his motorbike two years ago and he’s…”
“Like Carl” Jack said and she nodded.
“I suppose we’d better give her a wide birth then”
Unfortunately Mrs Wells was engaged in conversation with a couple of villagers in the middle of the lane between them and their car so they had to take an alternative route and go the long way round.
There was a long winding path that led away from the village which crossed over the river and passed the water mill.
They paused briefly by the babbling water and then crossed over the bridge across the mill stream before the path dissected the water meadow on its way to the Meadowside farm and at every turn they were blessed with a fresh view of the St Timothy’s Spire bathed in the winter sunshine, and when they reached the farm they took the lane which skirted the meadow and gave them a good view of Kings River Woods and when they reached the car park they looked back towards the picturesque village.

Back in Turnoak Emily thought that having the Rooney’s working with them on Saturday they might have been able to progress from flirting to talking and the talking might then lead on to a date.
But things didn’t work out that way as they were so busy from the moment the top soil arrived at 9 o’clock.
They were so busy they didn’t even have time to stop for lunch so she had convinced herself that the day was a wash out.
And it was until Davina pointed out they didn’t have enough edging stones.
“I’ll drive over to Beaumont’s” Jimmy suggested “I can be there and back in half an hour”
“I’ll go with him” Dave said
“No it’s alright let Davina go with him” Emily said and smiled

While the other two were at the Gardens Centre Emily tried to contrive a way to take advantage of the situation but her mind went blank every time she looked at David she had never been any good at talking to men.
The fact that he was muscular and well-toned, with red hair and a lovely freckled faced, and she thought he was gorgeous didn’t help the situation.
She might have felt better had she realized that he too felt the same way about her and was equally frustrated by his failure to ask her a simple question.
He loved her pretty weathered elfin features, and short brunette hair, her slender, lean and wiry physique, muscular yet feminine, and he loved every inch of her five foot eight.

After they had been toiling together for about half an hour Emily was conscious of the fact that the others could return any moment so she said
“I can’t thank you enough for helping us today”
“No thanks required” he said “it was in a very worthy cause, Reverend Watson is a special person”
“She is” Emily agreed “But nonetheless Davina and I would never have got this far so quickly without you and Jimmy”
David was also acutely aware that his brother might return soon so he took a deep breath and seized the moment
“Well if you insist on thanks, then perhaps you might go to dinner with me tonight” he suggested “There are plenty of good restaurants in the area, your choice”
“That would be really nice” replied Emily genuinely “But I don’t think I’m up to it tonight”
“Oh ok” Dave said believing he had blown it
“But I’m sure tomorrow night would be ok” Emily added and a grin spread across her grubby face

While Emily and Dave struggled with their awkwardness with the opposite sex his younger brother Jimmy and her young assistant Davina had driven to Beaumont’s Garden Centre and loaded the required materials onto a trolley and had reached the checkout by the time Emily and David’s dinner date had been arranged.
When Davina paid the bill the girl at the checkout gave her the receipt with a voucher attached and said
“Your purchase today entitles you to a 20% off voucher for the “Tree Top Trail” in Shallowfield
“What’s that?” they asked in unison, genuinely oblivious
“It’s a trail through the tree tops with Tarzan swings, rope bridges and Zip Wires” she said excitedly “It sounds like great fun and I’ve always fancied having a go”
“It sounds great” Davina said
“Absolutely” Jimmy agreed “perhaps we should go”
“What together?”
“Yes, do you fancy it?” he asked and despite the fact that the thought of walking through the tree tops 30 feet above the ground scared her to death she said.
“I’d love to” because she would be doing it with him.
It wasn’t really her kind of thing at all she was one of life’s spectators while Jimmy on the other hand seemed to her to be the type of person who was up there on centre stage.
Davina had always been content to look on from the side lines whereas she suspected Jimmy was in there participating with all his might, he was a “joiner in” while Davina was an applauder of other people’s efforts, a holder of coats, a cheerer from the bleaches.
But a date was a date and that would do for starters.

As a result of their late start to the day, their leisurely lunch and the necessity of the diversion route back to the car dusk was falling by the time Jack and Kayleigh reached Turnoak.
It was always the plan for him to drop Kayleigh up at Plaxton Park, partly to maintain the illusion that they had not been away together for his birthday treat but also so she could spend the evening with her husband to assuage her guild for cheating on him and barely giving him a second thought while she was away with Jack.

Kayleigh had really enjoyed being with Jack and she wished they could have spent the rest of the weekend together, or the rest of their lives for that matter, but sadly she had a husband who she loved very much and although she had come to terms with her infidelity she had to stay his wife right up until the wire.

When they got up to Plaxton Park Jack drove in to the car park and stopped in a secluded corner where he could kiss her goodbye
“I really do love you,” he said
“I know” she replied, “I love you too”
“I’ll see you later if you like” she said
“I can’t wait” Jack said and she walked briskly towards the building as the tears arrived.

Chapter 25 – Gardeners and Farmers

By the time Jack got back to White Rose Cottage it was after seven o’clock and he was surprised to see there was still a light burning in the window and there was a strange car parked on the drive, he assumed the light was left on to deter burglars but he couldn’t explain the car.
He parked his car behind it on the drive, retrieved his and Kayleigh’s bags from the boot and went inside not knowing who or what was awaiting him there.
But as he went in all was quiet, in the hall he immediately noticed there was a bookcase standing against the wall that had preciously stood in the lounge and that was when he remembered that the Hospital bed was due to be delivered the day before so he guessed that as the bookcase had been moved the bed had indeed arrived.
He dropped Kayleigh’s bag in the hall and took his own upstairs and unpacked and wasn’t at all surprised to find no one in the guest rooms.
But as he walked back downstairs he again wondered why there was a strange car on the drive especially if he didn’t have a houseguest.
He went into the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil and then returned to the hall and picked up Kay’s bag and went out his back door, through the side gate and opened the door to her back porch and placed the bag inside then closed and locked the door.
She had said that she would see him later that night but it was quite conceivable that she could change her mind, in which case she might have wanted her bag before the morning.
He returned to the house and noticed that the light was flashing on the answerphone so he pressed to button to listen to the message.
“Hi Jack its Emily, you have doubtless already noticed that I left my car on the drive, I hope you don’t mind, I’ll pick it up in the morning, bye”
“Well that solves that mystery” he said and went in the kitchen and made himself a coffee and then sat down to begin opening the pile of birthday cards that had accumulated in his absence.
Most of the cards contained the normal felicitations but a significant number of them had extra little messages that referred to his hospitality towards the vicar which meant a lot to him.
There were inevitably a number of unsigned cards which bore messages that were less charitable and aimed at his despicable relationship with Kayleigh and intimated at a more ungodly union with his whore of a Vicar.
But there were so many positive cards and so many sympathetic messages the he was kind of overwhelmed so to get a handful of hate mail was neither here nor there.
But he felt a certain pride for the positive ones so he finished his drink and decided to take a look in the lounge.
He opened the door and the light from the hall flooded into the room and in the centre of the room was the hospital bed starkly illuminated in all its cold clinical functionality and then Jack started to cry.

It was almost midnight when he gave up hope that he would see Kayleigh so he went upstairs and got into bed.
He drifted in and out of sleep for the next hour and just after one o’clock the bedroom door opened and he heard soft footfalls on the carpeted floor and he felt the duvet lift and Kayleigh’s warm body cuddled up against him
“I didn’t think you were coming” he said as she lay her head on his chest.
“I wasn’t going to” she replied “I felt guilty about leaving Carl and coming to you”
“So what happened?” he asked
“I wanted to be with you too much, because I love you so much” she said and that was music to his ears
“I love you too” he replied and they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms and awoke in the same position the next morning.

Jack greeted Sunday morning with mixed feelings, waking up in Kayleigh’s arms was a delight but it was to be a busy day so after they made it downstairs for the day Jack cooked them a full English breakfast to steel them for the day ahead.

After breakfast she slipped out the back door to go home via the side gate and emerged forty minutes later through the front in answer to Jacks knock and then they walked down to St Lucy’s together.
After the service he had to forgo the usual Sunday Lunch Club at the Hen and Chicks as he only had an hour to grab a sandwich before the village helpers arrived with Katie Watson’s goods and chattels.
Katie herself wouldn’t be arriving until Monday when Matron Gemma Frost and Doctor Anderson would be there to help settle her in.
Also Emily arrived amidst all the other visitors to pick up her car and explained why she had to leave it there.

When Davina and Jimmy were driving back from Beaumont’s Garden Centre, two days earlier, the van had a puncture, so Dave Rooney drove her to Purplemere in the Spade Oak Farm Landrover, firstly to pick up Jimmy and the materials and second to drop her at home to pick up her car.
Davina had already phoned Donaldson Automotive so she had to stay with the van until they arrived.
When the tyre had been changed she then drove the van to Turnoak and arrived just in time to see the Landrover, and more importantly the Rooney’s, drive away.
All the work was finished so Emily and Davina just had to load the tools onto the van and they were done, but because they both had tales to tell about their respective Rooney’s, Emily decided to leave her car at Jacks and ride in the van with Davina.
“Crikey” he said “And I thought my life was complicated”
They both had a laugh and then they discussed the work.
“You’ve done a cracking job” he said
“And finished in double quick time”
“We couldn’t have done it without the burley Farmers” she said
“It looks great anyway” he said “How much do I owe you?”
“It’s ok I’ll pop the invoice in the post” she said “And let me know if there’s anything else you need doing”
“I will”
“Well I have to fly” she said “I have to get ready for dinner”
“Where’s he taking you?”
“The Worsted Viper” she replied
“Nice” Jack said “he must really like you”
Emily was scarlet red as she got in the car and Jack smiled as he watched her drive away.

Davina Carley was a skinny waif like creature in her early twenties, with short straw blonde hair, in a kind of pixie cut, although it was probably achieved more by accident than design, and she was from the village of Clarence and when the muscular well-toned red headed Jimmy Rooney picked her up on Sunday afternoon she was dressed for an adventurous afternoon, but she was made up to look like a girlie girl dressed for an adventurous afternoon.

It was a bright Sunday afternoon in February, just one week after they had first met.
It was probably a little unconventional for the first date but she didn’t really care she was just pleased that they had a date.
After some discussion it was decided that he would pick her in the Landrover for the drive to their destination in the Dancingdean Forest.
Despite her apprehension about the “Tree Top Trail” she was still very much looking forward to her first date with Jimmy and was praying it would go well.
Davina’s trepidation was far removed from the normal first date nerves, which were bad enough, her main fears stemmed from the fact she had to contend with the death defying heights of the Tree Top Trail, with all its incumbent hazards such as Tarzan swings, rope bridges and Zip Wires, all at a height of 30ft.
She wasn’t good with heights at the best of times, she never had been, not because she suffered from vertigo or had an irrational fear of being up high.
In fact she liked high places, Airplanes, the London Eye, Canary Wharf or the Empire States Building, as long as there was something between her and oblivion.
What scared her to death was gravity and the belief that it would at any moment pull her screaming to the ground.
But she couldn’t show it, not to Jimmy, she had to put on a brave face for his benefit as she didn’t want him to think she was a wimp.

It was about an hour’s drive to the Dancingdean Forest, but the time seemed to pass by very quickly as they chatted about something and nothing, always a good sign when there are no embarrassed silences.
Once they arrived in the Dancingdean Forest her trepidation deepened as she looked up and realized exactly how high 30 feet was.
As if sensing her reservations Jimmy took hold of her arm.
“Come on then” he said steering her in the direction of a large timber shack.

There were 12 of them in their group, 11 first timers and one jovial leader called Dirk who was determined that they all had a “great experience”
And on the whole they all did, although there were moments when Davina was almost scared to death.
Though they were never in any real danger, they all had harnesses and protective gear but she was still scared up in the tree tops.
But at the end of it, thanks to Dirk, the whole group had a great experience, but it was still nice to get back to terra firma.
After divesting themselves of their safety gear they all made their way to the café for a well-earned coffee.
As she and James sat either side of a table discussing how much they had enjoyed the experience he announced
“I wouldn’t want to do it again”
“What?” she said with alarm
“The tree top stuff” he assured her, but he continued with more than a little smugness, knowing that he had her hook line and sinker
“I’m up for another date though” he continued
Then after a minute or two he suddenly said
“But I have a confession to make”
“Oh” she responded fearing the worst, he was married or engaged or something.
“I would have enjoyed it much more if I wasn’t scared of heights” he confessed
“I only finished the course because I didn’t want you to think I was whet”
After hearing his confession Davina laughed
“It’s not funny” he said crossly
“I’m laughing because I was scared to death myself” she said “I just gritted my teeth and got on with it because I didn’t want you to think I was a wimp”
On hearing her confession he laughed as well.
When the laughter had subsided they both concurred that it had been a good first date.

After they had finished their coffee they decided that there was enough daylight left for a walk in the woods, as neither of them were in a hurry for the date to end.

As they walked along the trail in a comfortable silence they wanted to take it to the next level but were both unsure how to proceed when Davina stumbled into him and he reacted quickly and reached out his arms to stop her falling and when he safely had hold of her and they were stood nose to nose she kissed him.
As first kisses went it wasn’t breath taking or earth shattering, nor was it the best kiss either of them had ever had but it was a beginning and was nonetheless momentous.
But before Jimmy could improve on their first kiss she surprised him by pushing him onto the floor.
“You’ll have to catch me if you want more” she called over her shoulder as she turned on her heels and ran up a side track giggling like a schoolgirl.
Jimmy gathered himself and got to his feet and sprinted after her and he caught her halfway up an incline and she screamed as he grabbed her by the waist.
“Got yer,” he said but she wriggled free and once again he ended up on his backside on the damp earth.
“Come on then, farm boy” she said taunting him as she stood leaning against a tree at the summit of the hill
“I am going to get my kiss” he said and began slowly ascending the hill.
“You’re all talk farm boy” she said but as he got closer she made a run for it giggling and squealing as she did so, but after a few minutes of taunting him she lost her footing and Jimmy pounced and wrestled her to the ground and then he kissed her and this time the kiss was of a very different hue and was breath taking and earth shattering and was a kiss against which every future kiss would be judged.

David picked Emily up from her house on the outskirts of Purplemere in his father’s car, as Jimmy was using the Landrover, for the short drive to the Worsted Viper Hotel.
It was a wonderful restaurant and she thought it was a far superior venue for a first date than a Tree Top Trail.
Of course she would have quite liked to do something physical with him but it didn’t involve rope bridges and zip wires, but as it turned out she was to be disappointed.
Not that the date didn’t go well in every other respect there were no embarrassed silences and he listened with interest when she spoke and when it was his turn to speak he wasn’t dull or boring and was witty and fascinating.
David was also gentlemanly and attentive so when they were seated in the large vaulted conservatory section of the restaurant, and he noticed Emily had goose bumps on her arms because it was a little cool in their corner so he immediately asked the waiter to close the window and the waiter duly obliged.
“Is that better?” he asked with concern
“Much” she replied and smile

Throughout the meal the conversation flowed effortlessly from course to course and on to the coffee and liqueurs but all too soon the evening was over and he drove her home.
Emily had enjoyed the evening very much and her like for him surpassed that and she believed that by the way he was looking at her during the evening that her feelings were reciprocated.
But when they got to her house, much to her disappointment he just kissed her cheek and thanked her for a lovely evening.

Back in Turnoak after all the comings and goings were done with at White Rose Cottage Jack Morehouse took himself off to St Lucy’s for the Sunday evening service and having recharged his spiritual batteries he returned home for an early night.

Chapter 26 – Marvellous in a Crisis

On Monday morning the door knocker was rarely quiet and it began at 8 o’clock with the dreaded Mrs. Cohen coming to get the house spick and span before the patient arrived.
She was a surly old biddy but she was a marvellous cleaner but she had the knack of making him feel like he was in the way and he found her to be incredibly intimidating so he made himself a coffee and made his way to his study to the echoes of “I ain’t done in there yet”
But Jack closed the door and switched on the computer and an email gave him the excuse to escape so while Mrs. C did her stuff he took the opportunity to drive over to Purplemere and meet Jacey and James at the club, he could have phoned them and had a skype meeting but Jack found from bitter experience that when Mrs. Cohen was in the house it was best if he wasn’t.

So having killed an hour at the Waterside Club he found he still had time, if he rushed around, to do a bit of shopping, but rushing around was certainly a necessity due to the cold weather.
Where it had been sunny and mild for his trip to Sharpington with Kayleigh the winter cold had come back with a vengeance after the weekend, carried on a biting wind.

As he was making his way back to the car a timid voice called out from behind him.
“Jack?”
He turned around but couldn’t identify the source of the voice so he turned back and carried on walking
“Jack?”
The voice called again, a little louder this time, so he turned around again and this time he was faced by a short smiling young woman who he didn’t recognize.
She was wearing one of those furry hats with ear flaps, a heavy thigh length coat, skinny jeans and Ugg boots.
Jack didn’t know what fashion statement she was trying to make in such an ensemble, he suspected it was more likely a determination keep warm.
“It’s me” she said from beneath the fur hat.
But he still didn’t know who “me” was.
It was clearly some young woman that he had met at some time and the encounter was so unmemorable he had instantly forgotten her, possibly someone who had worked at the club or maybe even a regular customer.
So he tried to picture her dressed in a different outfit, staff uniform, or evening dress, but nothing registered.
So she lifted the hat off her head so he could get a clearer look but this only allowed the wind to blow her fine blonde hair across her face, obscuring it completely.
It took a moment for her to take control of her wayward locks but when control had been achieved she announced
“It’s me” and gave him a beaming smile.
“Lily?” he said “I didn’t recognize you without your horse”
She was a local girl who owned and ran the Pine Hill Farm Riding School and was often seen on horseback around the village.
“You’re silly” she giggled as she put her hat back on “you mean you didn’t recognize me with my clothes on”
Jack smiled at her and she suddenly realized what she had said and blushed
“I meant with my winter clothes on” she corrected herself and they both laughed.
She was a wealthy girl and didn’t really need to work, her parents died when she was at college and left her a luxury 8 bedroom house in Hawthorne and a sizable fortune, but she was not the sort to idle away her life in hedonism she needed a purpose so she sold the house and bought a rundown farm which she converted into the riding school, and she had run it successfully for seven years.
He first met her when his uncle Daniel was still alive as he stabled his own horse, Trojan, with her, in fact it was still stabled there.
He hadn’t been able to bring himself to sell it so Lily agreed to keep it in her care, although she had an ulterior motive because she was still hoping to get him into the saddle.
Lily was a petite and attractive girl with hair the colour of pure honey but despite everything she was socially awkward and she shuffled her feet awkwardly wanting to lean in and kiss him in greeting but she wasn’t sure if she should or not so Jack put her out of her misery and kissed her instead
“Thank you for the birthday card” he said
“Did you like it?” Lily asked “it wasn’t too cheeky?”
The reason for the question was the message she wrote in his card alluding to him being akin to an old nag as he had reached the age of 40.
He was quite amused when he opened his cards, and he was pleased that she thought him enough of a friend to be cheeky.
“Yes I did” he replied and she shivered and then checked her watch.
“Oh damn I’m going to miss my bus if I don’t run”
Then she awkwardly leant in and kissed him.
“Bye Jack”
“Why are you catching a bus?” he asked
“I’m not allowed to drive at the moment” she replied
“I fell off my horse a few days ago and I hurt my shoulder and I’m on strong pain killers”
“I can give you lift” he said
“Are you going home now then?” she asked
“Yes I’ve done what I needed to do” he replied
“Ok” Lily said “that will be great”

As they were driving back to the village Lily said
“You haven’t been to the stable for a while”
“No” he replied “but life has kind of got in the way”
“Yes I heard about the Vicar” she said quietly
“It’s a good thing you’re doing”
“It’s the least I could do” Jack said

“So where do you want dropping?” he asked as they entered the village
“You’re place will do” she replied “I have to go to the surgery to get a repeat prescription”
“No problem” Jack said and then as he pulled on to his drive she exclaimed
“Oh my”
And the reason for that exclamation was the sight of a number of villagers exiting or entering his front door like worker ants from a nest.
“So the vicar takes up residence today” she said
“Oh yes” he replied
“Did you want to come in for a while?”
“Well today obviously isn’t a good day” she said “and I need to get my prescription, but we’ll do it another day”
She held his hand and kissed his cheek
“Thanks for the lift Jack”

When Jack managed to get inside the house he found a crowd scene in the hall and kitchen.
Directing traffic in the hall was Martina Wingrove, the new Vicars wife to be, and in the kitchen surrounded by chaos were Doctor Carole Anderson, in dress down mode and Matron Gemma Frost in civvies, he had never seen the good Doctor wearing casuals before, Gemma on the other hand he had seen in scruffy joes before.
“Hello girls” he said
“Jack?” Carole shouted “Thank God”
“Is everything going to plan?” he asked
“No” she cried “no it’s bloody not, half the village has turned up with meals”
“Oh” was all he could muster as he looked around at a huge selection of Pyrex and Tupperware dishes.
“There’s a lot” Gemma added “and nowhere to put it all, your freezer is full”
“There are hot pots and curries, casseroles and spag bols” Carole exclaimed as she threw her arms up in the air.
“Honestly” he said putting an arm around each of them, “I hope you wouldn’t be this flustered if one of the biddies had had a stroke”
“We’re trained for old ladies with strokes” Carole said tartly
“We are not trained for this”
Just at that moment they were joined in the kitchen by Kayleigh who was smiling broadly and had obviously been listening from the hall
“Ah, Kayleigh, there are labels in that drawer” he said pointing and then said to all of them
“Write what’s in the dish and who brought it so I can return the container to the correct person afterwards” he instructed
“I will go and switch on the chest freezer in the garage”
“You’re marvellous in a crisis” Carole said
“He’s not bad in a clinch either” Kayleigh whispered to him as he passed
He left them to it and went out the back door and into the garage.
Jack thought it was nice that the Doctor thought he was marvellous in a crisis but he wasn’t even sure if the chest freezer still worked, he hadn’t used it for a year.
It was in use when he inherited the house but it had very little in it so he switched it off and cleaned it out and it had stood empty ever since.
The other problem was that since then he had used the top of it as a dumping ground for boxes and such like, so firstly he had to clear it off.
He was not particular in his task and he rather just relocated the clutter from the top of the freezer onto the top of any other available surface.
One he had cleared the top he lifted the lid and briefly checked inside.
Satisfied nothing was living in it he closed the lid and switched it on and the light came on instantly and it started to make the appropriate noises of a chest freezer so Jack was content all was well.
He returned to the kitchen to find that calmness prevailed as Gemma, Carole and Kayleigh were working methodically through the task he had set them.
They had been joined by Martina as the flow of visitors had been stemmed so while the others finished labelling she and Jack began carrying out the already labelled meals to the freezer.

It had been rather a strange morning which fizzled out somewhat after that extraordinary deluge of well-meaning women, who had succeeded in filling his freezer.
Despite all the food on hand Jack took the four ladies out for some pub grub and a pint at then Hen and Chickens.
As they were walking down the road Martina wanted to pop in and see Katie on the way and Carole went in with her.
Thirty minutes later they re-emerged with Katie walking between them.
“Katie” they cheered
“Did someone mention the pub?” She said
She was walking under her own steam but she had to hold on to Martina and Carole’s arms.
“Hey” she said to Jack “if we’re going to live together I think I should be seen on your arm”
So Jack made an elaborate bow and she took his arm.
They were all in the pub until 4 o’clock and the Hen and Chicks was absolutely rocking.
When they eventually left the pub Katie turned to them and said
“Thanks for that” then after a pause she continued “it was like being at my own wake”
And as a result they were all laughing so much they had to sit down again.

They wheeled Katie to White Rose Cottage house in her wheelchair, not because she was drunk or anything, she had nursed the same pint of Guinness all afternoon, but she had summoned every ounce of strength she had in her to get her through her “wake” and she was absolutely drained with fatigue, plus the emotion of the day had taken its toll.
Carole and Gemma settled her into what was now to be her room for the duration.
Martina had returned to the Vicarage and along with her fiancé Paul they brought the remainder of Katie’s possessions.
While the four of them fussed and faffed around her Jack and Kayleigh went to the kitchen and made them some food, from scratch.

After which they all ate together in Katie’s room and afterwards they sat chatting until Katie was too tired to continue.
So they all kissed her goodnight and Carole and Gemma settled her down for the night.

Martina and Paul then returned to the Vicarage while the rest of them sat in the kitchen for the next hour or so until they left as well, though not before drilling into Jack what to do if something happened.
Katie didn’t need constant nursing at that point so there was to be no night nurse, just regular visits.
But he had a list of contact numbers should the need arise.
So once the Doctor and the Matron were satisfied he knew what to do, they and Kayleigh left him to it.
Jack never admitted to them that he didn’t sleep well that night and that every time he woke up he went and checked on her.

Chapter 27 – Angel in Residence

The next morning the door went at nine o’clock and a nurse, by the name of George Dallas was standing the other side of it when he opened it, and he had come to check on the patient.
He was a tall thin man, with pale skin and strawberry blonde hair, in his early thirties.
Jack was expecting him as there was a rota on the kitchen wall, of who was doing what and when.
So he had been up since 7 am, and he took a cup of tea in to Katie at seven thirty and she too had been awake for a while.
By the time the nurse arrived he’d already helped her to the bathroom for her morning pee and made her breakfast and she was sitting comfortably in his arm chair watching TV.
So he left them to it and went and made drinks, then George, the nurse, having checked Katie was ok and given Katie her medication, George left and he had been there for the best part of an hour.

Despite the early visit it was a much quieter day than the previous one so after skyping the boys at the club, Jack pottered about for the morning, he did a bit of laundry, emptied the bins, that kind of thing.
He told Katie to just shout if she wanted anything, but he had to tell her off at one point when he caught her on the way to the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” he said crossly “I told you to shout if you wanted anything”
“I didn’t want to bother you” she said
“It isn’t a bother” he reassured her “now take my arm”
She did as she was told and he walked her to the kitchen
“Oh you have a lovely outlook” she said looking out of the kitchen window.
The lounge was at the front of the house so she hadn’t seen out the back before.
She sat down at the kitchen table and he made them a drink.

They had been sitting there for about ten minutes when…
“Jack?” she said “I was wondering if...”
“If what?” he asked
“Say no if you think it’s a bit cheeky” she replied “but would it be alright if I have a bath”
“For goodness sake Katie you don’t need to ask my permission” he said “this is your home now”
“Are you sure?” she asked
“Of course” he reassured her “I’ll go and run the bath, while you finish your drink”
So he went upstairs to his bedroom which had an en suite and ran the bath and put out fresh towels before returning downstairs to the kitchen.
“It’s all ready for you madam” he said pompously and held out his hand, which she took.
He let her lead the way slowly up the stairs and he followed closely behind in case she slipped but half way up he stopped her and scooped her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way.
She was able to undress herself ok but needed help to get in and out of the tub.
So Katie called him in to the bathroom and she was standing with her back to him wrapped in a bath sheet.
Jack held her loosely at the waist and let her step in, once both feet were safely in the water he un-wrapped the towel from her and held it out like a windbreak.
Katie was then able to lower herself gently into the water.
“Oh wow” she exclaimed “this is fab”
Jack smiled to himself and then lowered the towel as her modesty was by then covered by the bubbles.
“Is that to madam’s satisfaction” he said grandly
“Oh yes my good man” she replied in her best Lady Muck voice “this will do very nicely, you may go”
“I’ll leave you to it then ma’am” he said tugging his forelock “and don’t even think about trying to get out on your own”
“Ok” she replied meekly
But just as he was leaving the bathroom she exclaimed
“Oh bugger”
“Reverend Watson!” he said with affront
“Sorry” she said with a giggle “I forgot my clothes”
“I’ll bring them up, anything in particular?” I said
“They’re in a pile at the end of the bed” she told him
“Ok” he replied “I’ll bring them up”
“And no ogling my undies” she added and he smiled as he thought “That’s the Katie Watson we all know and love”
“I can’t promise that” he called as he went down stairs and picked up her clothes which he put on the bottom stair and went back to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
He made another drink and he was just about to go up and check on Katie when the front door opened and Carole Anderson walked in with her medical bag.
“Hello” she called
“In the kitchen” he called back
When she walked in he noticed instantly she was dressed in her more familiar professional garb.
“Nice to see you properly dressed today doctor” he said
“Less of your lip” she retorted “Where’s the patient?”
“She’s upstairs”
“Why what have you done?” she asked suspiciously
“I haven’t done anything” he replied indignantly “she’s having a bath”
“Well that’s ok then” she said with a smile “I’ll go up and see her”
“She’s in the en suite in my room” he said “can you take Katie’s clothes up with you”

He continued with his chores while the Doc was upstairs with Katie, he had a plateful of broken biscuits that he had emptied from the cookie tin so he took them up the garden to put on the bird table.

He loved the garden it was such a tranquil place, from the house he could look out across the expanse of lawn to a stand of ancient woodland that separates the garden from the bridal way, there was no fence to separate garden and wood the two just merged.

He had just brushed the last of the crumbs off the plate and had turned to go back to the house when his attention was drawn to a sound in the trees at the end of the garden.
It sounded like a horse snorting and that meant only one thing, so he walked towards the trees and his suspicions were correct, walking among the trees was a familiar beast and its rider, Trojan and Lily Soames.
“What are you doing here?” he said
“I’m just exercising the old boy” she replied “Which you should be doing, but I know you’re busy”
“Do you want to come in for a coffee?” he asked “I’ve got the Vicar in residence and the Doctor’s here at the moment but you’re still welcome”
“No I’d better not” she replied “I’m a mess, but the next time I’m passing I will”
“Ok” he said but he couldn’t discuss it any longer as he was frozen, he had only intended being outside for a couple of minutes, Lily on the other hand was dressed for the weather.
“I’ve got to go in,” he said “but I’ll see you soon”
Jack went back to the house at a jog and back in the house he closed the door and shivered as he switched the kettle on and five minutes later Carole came down the stairs with Katie following her less gingerly that he might have expected, obviously the bath had had some benefit.
“How was it then?” he asked
“Very nice” Katie replied, “That bath is fab”

Carole had to return to her rounds so Katie and Jack had lunch together and then they watched “It happened one night” with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert before Katie settled down for a nap.
By the time she had woken from her nap Gemma had arrived, in uniform, to dispense the evening medication.
This was followed by an hour of visitors and one of the donated dinners from the freezer, a shepherd’s pie, for tea.
Then they watched TV together until she fell asleep.
Wednesday and Thursday followed in similar vein apart from the fact that Kayleigh was also there for long periods of the time.

While Katie had her afternoon nap Jack occupied his time tidying the garage.
It had always been a bit of a mess ever since he moved in, but since he made the decision to invite Katie to stay it had become very cluttered indeed.
He made a start amidst the chaos on Tuesday afternoon and had completed his labours on Thursday.

On Thursday evening Katie had expressed a desire for bolognaise for tea, with garlic bread.
They had bolognaise in the freezer and he had plenty of pasta but he knew he was out of garlic bread so after the first visitor arrived he popped out to Stephenson’s.
As he emerged from his front door he rushed headlong down the drive and almost bowled over a pedestrian and after apologies were exchanged he saw that his victim was George Dallas, George was one of Gemma Frost’s posse of drop in nurses, who she had co-opted onto Katie’s care rota from Plaxton.
“Hello Mr. Morehouse” George said “I was just coming to see the Katie”
“Call me Jack” he said “So it’s your turn again already?”
“Yes I will be doing a lot of the visits as I live in Turnoak so I can see her before or after my shifts”
“Well the door is on the latch so let yourself in, I’m just off to the shop”
So George went up to the cottage and Jack walked down the road to Stephenson’s.

Anita Compson was at the counter as he walked in talking, to her husband Len
“Hi Jack” they chorused and he walked towards them and they chatted for a few minutes before he went to the freezer cabinet and picked up a couple of garlic breads.

Outside the shop he started back up the road and was lost in his thoughts but he was snapped back to reality by the sound of a car horn and when he looked up it was Lily Soames, who pulled her car to the curb side just ahead of him.
“Where are you off to?” he asked
“I’m going to see Katie” she answered

George was just coming down the stairs as they were crossing the hall and the former collided with Lily and she ended up on her backside on the floor.
“Oh my goodness” he exclaimed “I’m so sorry”
“That’s ok, no harm done” she said as he pulled her to her feet
“Ah I see you’ve met George” Jack said having turned to look what had happened in his wake
“Indeed” she said
“George this is…” Jack began
“The girl with the horse” George said “I often see you around the village on a chestnut mare”
“Yes I’m Lily and the mare is Hazel”
“Do you ride?” Jack asked
“I do” he replied “but not very often”
“Oh?” she queried and Jack detected that Lily’s interest in the good nurse was beyond that of a horsewoman and a horseman
“George is a nurse up at Plaxton Park” Jack informed her “I imagine the shifts are unhelpful”
“Indeed, and the fact I don’t have my own horse anymore”
“Jack stables his horse at Pine Hill” Lily said
“You have your own horse?” he asked
“Yes it was my uncles” Jack replied
“And he needs to be ridden” Lily added and gave Jack a look which confirmed his suspicion
“I have an idea” he said “As I have a horse and don’t ride and you do but don’t have a mount you could ride Trojan”
“Really?” he said
“Absolutely, you’d be doing me a favour George, work out the details with Lily” Jack said and returned to the kitchen with the garlic bread and finished cooking dinner in time to rescue Katie from a particularly long-winded visitor.

Kayleigh arrived just in time to eat and they persuaded Lily to stay for dinner as well as she had after all intended to see Katie anyway, however much to Lily’s obvious displeasure George was unable to join them as he had to get up to the hospital.

After dinner Lily had to get back to the farm and Katie was suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue so Kayleigh settled her down while he washed up and then they indulged themselves with a glass of wine and a Romantic comedy.

Chapter 28 – The Grateful Angel

On Friday the pattern that they had quickly fallen into was to be broken when Paul and Katie would be picked up in a taxi and taken to the Bishops residence for high tea, a singular honour by all accounts.
Selfishly, on hearing this news the day before Jack thought that, that would be his chance to spend some private time with Kayleigh.
So as he watched the taxi drive away on Friday lunchtime he felt a tingle of excitement tinged with guilt, but predominantly excitement.
It was partly the secrecy and the planning as well as the anticipation but mainly it was his love of her that stirred him.
He dropped the latch on the front door and then went out through the back door via the kitchen, locking the door behind him.
Once outside Jack hurried through the side gate into Kayleigh’s garden and found the kitchen door open so he stepped in and called
“Kayleigh!”
And a grinning face appeared from behind the door.

Jack felt rather guilty after his sinful afternoon in his lover’s bed while Katie was being entertained by the Bishop, but not guilty enough to prevent him from enjoying Kayleigh’s company again when the chance next arose.

There were no visitors on Friday Evening as was to be expected as the Vicar was too exhausted after tea with the Bishop.
She slept for much of Saturday as well but on Sunday she was feeling much better, so much so that she felt in need of spiritual refreshment so after he helped her with her bath Jack wheeled Katie down to the church.
It was a cold damp foggy morning and he wasn’t sure it was altogether a good idea but he had her well wrapped up and Paul Massey, the new Vicar, had saved her a seat nearest the heater.
She was in sparkling form, almost up to her former best and she chatted enthusiastically with all those in earshot and she enjoyed the service very much and was much moved by Paul’s choice of hymns.
However by the end, she was flagging and although her spiritual self was indeed refreshed, her body was left exhausted again, which kept her confined to bed for the rest of Sunday and a large part of Monday.

Every morning Sarah Peters, Verger at St Lucy’s and receptionist at the doctors surgery, phoned him to see if Katie was up to visitors and Jack would say yes or no, having already consulted Katie to see if she wanted to or not, but the ultimate decision was his.
Katie would never turn anyone away no matter how drained she was, but on Monday he provisionally said yes.

Just after he’d hung up the phone there was a knock at the door and when he opened it, it was the nurse, a different one this time, a district nurse it turned out.
After she’d gone Jack had to carry Katie all the way upstairs for her bath and all the way back down as well.
Dr Anderson came around midday and was persuaded to accept Jack’s hospitality to lunch with them, not that it took too much persuasion, and he had noticed her visits had been particularly well timed of late.
In the evening it was a different nurse again, a pleasant enough woman though but somewhat sour faced.

After the Doctor had gone Jack and Katie ended up watching a lot of old movies together and in the evening after she had seen her visitors they were joined by Kayleigh and after they had eaten a sublime Lamb Curry donated by the Khan’s, Katie asked if Jack would read to her.
“Which book?” he asked and after about thirty seconds of deliberation she said
“Harry Potter”
“Which one?”
“Let’s start at the beginning “The Philosophers Stone” she said, “Hopefully we’ll get through all of them before the end”
Jack glanced at Kayleigh and he could see that she didn’t like to think about the end either, and like Jack she hoped it wouldn’t come for a good while yet.
Jack shook off the morbid thoughts and read to her for the next couple of hours.

Virtually the same routine was repeated the next day, only the faces and shapes of the nurses varied, but then on Wednesday evening Katie went down with a fever.
He called Dr Anderson immediately, she played it down of course, but he could tell she was concerned.
She told him what tablets to give her and in a reassuring voice said she would pop in the next day as usual.
The next day Kayleigh called in at 7.30am and tried to pass it off as coincidence but she was clearly worried.

Carole administered the usual meds and something else for the fever.
“That will suffice for now” she said and instructed him to check her temperature regularly and promised to return later in the day.
As Carole had done everything already she called the surgery and asked Sarah to cancel the nurse for that morning but to leave the evening one in place for the time being.

Despite her fever Katie insisted on having her bath as usual, claiming it couldn’t do any harm and would probably even help, and then she gave him one of her lopsided grins so he gave in providing she ate her breakfast first.
She duly complied and he carried her upstairs and sat her on his bed while he ran her a bath.
He helped her into the tub in the usual manner and as he didn’t want to leave her alone upstairs as he normally did, he pottered around upstairs, changing the bedding, putting towels away, that kind of thing.

Once Jack had done everything he called into her
“Are you ready to get out yet your ladyship?”
“In a minute peasant” she replied
He was still laughing when he noticed Katie hadn’t sorted anything out clothes wise, so he went down and chose some for her, underwear as well, and when he was halfway up the stairs he went back and got a clean nightie just in case.
Before he got back upstairs he was surprised to see Kayleigh walk in.
“Hi Hon” he said “I wasn’t expecting to see you until later”
“I’m not coming later, remember” she said
“Of course” he said “Well now you’re here you can help me with Katie”
They went upstairs and he put the pile of clothes on the bed and Kayleigh helped her out of the bath.
Jack withdrew while she dried herself, but after a few moments she went a bit wobbly so they sat her on the bed and Kayleigh finished drying her herself.

When they had finished their joint venture Jack said
“I sorted out some clothes for you”
She had a quick look and replied
“Have you been rummaging through my knicker drawer?”
“Yes I have indeed rummaged in your drawer full of drawers” he responded proudly
“Pervert” she said and laughed.
After a moment or two of inactivity he was getting concerned she would get cold so Jack decided it was time to get her moving.
“Right let’s get you dressed,” he suggested “or would you rather just wear your nightie?”
“Nightie and Knicks” she said weakly
He picked up a pair of pale yellow knickers from the pile of clothes, and handed them to Kayleigh who knelt down in front of her and got her pants on over her feet and then pulled them up to her knees.
Jack then encouraged Katie to stand up and hold onto him for support while Kayleigh pulled her knickers the rest of the way up.
“Oops” she exclaimed with a giggle “they’ve gone up my bum”
“Well putting knickers on isn’t my sphere of expertise” Jack said “but I don’t mind helping out”
“I don’t think you should be poking around up there,” Katie said
“I’ll get them roughly in situ and you can adjust them later” Kayleigh replied.
Once she had finished Katie sat back down on the bed and Kayleigh stood up in front of her and picked up her nightie and put in on over her head, she then put her arms through in turn and she prepared to pull it down as Katie released the towel.
“No peeking,” she said
“I can’t promise that” Jack said honestly “I am a pervert after all”
But as she let the towel drop Jack did avert his gaze until Kayleigh had pulled her up to her feet and the garment had covered her modesty.
They both held onto her while she adjusted her pants and when the final adjustments were made and the snap of elastic sounded no more she leant against Jack and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you Jack,” she said softly
“For what?” he asked
“For everything” she replied “for this”
“It’s no trouble” he said
“It’s a lot of trouble” Katie corrected him
“And it means a lot to me”
“My pleasure” he said “well you know what I mean”
She suddenly broke away and exclaimed
“I forgot to squirt”
“Not to worry” he said “that’s soon remedied”
So he went into the bathroom and grabbed her deodorant and returned to the bedroom where Kayleigh still had her standing by the bed.
She lifted her arms up one at a time while he squirted.
“Anywhere else?” he asked
“No that will suffice” she replied
“Sure?” he asked again
She nodded.
“Ok” he said and pulled the neck of her nightie out and gave a quick squirt down her front.
“Behave yourself” Kayleigh said and slapped his arm “you’re incorrigible”
They were all laughing when she went all wobbly again and fell against Jack limply.
“Oops a daisy” he said as he took hold of her.
Holding her firmly with one arm he used his spare hand to gesticulate to Kayleigh to turn back the duvet before he lowered her onto the bed.
“Let’s get you lying down,” he said gently
“No” she replied, “this is your room”
“Well for the next few days it’s your room” he insisted “I put clean bedding on this morning”
She didn’t have the strength to argue anymore so she lay down and as he and Kayleigh sat beside her on the bed she drifted off to sleep within a few minutes.

Chapter 29 – The Angels Wobble

Kayleigh sat with Katie for another ten minutes after they had settled her into his bed while Jack went downstairs to make a coffee.
While he was in the kitchen finishing his drink he heard the front door open and as he listened he realised it was Mrs Cohen.
Jack got up and went into the hall to head her off.
“Ah Mrs C” he said “a change of plan for today, the Reverend has come down with a fever”
She didn’t speak, but listened intently
“She is sleeping upstairs and will do so until the fever dissipates” he continued
“I know I haven’t done as good a job as you would but I’ve already done upstairs so can you just do downstairs this week”
“Of course dear” she replied and patted his hand.
He was taken aback, she had never called him dear before and there was even a hint of a smile about her lips.
Mrs C went about her chores and he returned to the kitchen and when he looked out the kitchen window he noticed it had started snowing.
He hoped it wasn’t going to be too disruptive as he was due at the club that evening, as he couldn’t spend Valentines with Kayleigh, as she would be with Carl.

Hannah Peters was going to come over and stay overnight to look after Katie, which given the good Reverends fever was fortuitous.
But if the snow amounted to as much as was predicted all the plans could easily go awry.
He wasn’t at all convinced that it would as the weather forecast tended to give the worst case scenario so as not to be embarrassed like they were after the great autumn storm of 88 so Jack expected the snow to be an inconvenience and nothing more.
Mrs Cohen left about 12.30 and as soon as the door closed Kayleigh appeared
“Has she gone?”
“Yes you can stop hiding now” he said and laughed
“It’s not funny she’s a very scary woman”
“Nonsense, she called me “dear”” he said
“See, I told you she was scary” Kyleigh explained
Jack left her in the kitchen and went up to check on Katie who was just stirring, he suggested soup for lunch, which he served to her in bed, though she didn’t eat much.
At one thirty Dr Anderson came through the front door
“Hello!” she called
“We’re in the kitchen Carole” Jack called back
“Where’s the patient?” she asked
“She’s in my room” he replied
“Why?” she asked suspiciously
He then told her of the events that lead to her sleeping beneath his duvet.
“Oh God” she said and rushed upstairs so he made some lunch for the three of them in time for her return.
He looked out of the window and was alarmed to notice the snow was not abating in the slightest.
He was beginning to get that sinking feeling, he had actually been looking forward to seeing everyone at the club, but with the snow falling thick and fast he suspected he was going to be disappointed.

Carole came downstairs a little happier than when she went up even though Katie’s temperature hadn’t yet broken.
She was satisfied she wasn’t getting any worse for the time being anyway, but the antibiotics she had just given her, she hoped would break the fever over the next 48 hours.
In the meantime she would spend a couple of hours sitting with her before going home, when she would have to leave for home while she could still get there.

As Carole sat with the sleeping Katie, Kaylie was making coffee and Jack was on the phone, first with Hannah who called to say she was unable to get out of Purplemere and was staying overnight with friends and then to James at the club to say he wouldn’t be paying them a visit after all and explained why and during the conversation James said that it was even worse in Purplemere.
“I’m sorry James” he said “I’ll get over and see you when the weather clears”

He was sitting in the kitchen with Kayleigh looking at the worsening weather and she said
“I really should get going”
“Do you think it’s safe?” he asked
“I don’t know but I have to try”
She always spent the important dates, Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, New Year’s Eve, Halloween and Valentines with Carl up at Plaxton Park even if she didn’t know if he knew she was there or not because Carl was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely, physically and mentally disabled and in need of perpetual care and had not responded to any external stimuli.
“You could get stranded,” he said not wanting her to go
“I know” she replied “but I should be there even if he doesn’t know I am, it will be the first one I’ve ever missed”
“You don’t have to miss it,” he told her
“What?” she asked
“Go, I can manage here” he assured her
“What about Katie?” she asked, “She still has a fever”
“Carole has already told me what to do” he replied “and you can phone me for an update”
“And what if she deteriorates? What then?” she asked
“I would do exactly the same thing you would if you were here,” he answered but she still looked unsure so he continued
“Carl may not know you’re there but you do, go to him, I’ll be fine”
She walked around the table and sat on his lap then she kissed him.
“You’re a good man Jack” she said “and I love you”
“And I love you too, now go” he said urgently “before I change my mind”

While Kayleigh was getting her coat on in the hall Jack took another phone call in the kitchen, this time it was from another one of the rota of district nurses who was also unable to get through to the village.
Jack decided not to share the news with either Carole or Kayleigh because they would both have stayed.

“She’s awake,” Carole said as she came down the stairs
“And would love a cup of tea”
“Ok I’ll take one up” he responded then he told her and Kayleigh to call him as soon as they got to their destinations to let him know they got there safely.
Carole left first after promising she would do as instructed and then Kayleigh did the same and then they kissed, but not a goodbye kiss, but more of an “I wish I wasn’t going” kiss, then he opened the door and she stepped out into the snow.

After he watched Kayleigh drive off into the snowy late afternoon he went inside and drew all the curtains, turned on the lights and cranked the heating up before he went into the kitchen and boiled the kettle.
He made Katie and himself a drink, but before he carried them upstairs he went into what used to be the lounge and picked up a couple of DVD’s and the Harry Potter book he had been reading to her.
With the entertainment tucked under his arm and two steaming mugs in his hand he knocked on the door with his free hand.
“Are you decent?” he asked as he slowly pushed open the door.
“You don’t have to knock” she said weakly
“It’s the polite thing to do before entering a ladies boudoir” he said gallantly
“There you are Milady” he said as he put her tea on the nightstand
“Thanks” she said “I’m really gasping”
“I bought up a couple of films” he said with a frown as he drew the curtains and noticed the snow was falling faster.
“Or we could carry on with the book” he added as he put on the bedside lamp
“Could we just have some music?” Katie said “I don’t think I can concentrate on anything else”
“Of course, do you have a preference?” Jack asked
“Something classical would be nice” she replied “no Wagner or Mahler though, something light”
“I have just the thing” Jack said as he got up and left the room.
He came back about five minutes later with his tablet and connected it to the music player.
After a moment or two a selection of John Barry tunes began to play.

While Katie drank her tea Jack settled himself into the armchair in the corner, which was probably the most uncomfortable chair he had ever sat in, though in truth he only got it for decoration.
Ten minutes later he got a text from Kayleigh to say she had made it to Plaxton safely.
“I like this” Katie said after about half an hour, though in truth she kept drifting off to sleep while he passed the time away doing Sudoku’s, then the phone rang, and he picked it up and could see it was Carole Anderson
“Hey you” he said “I was beginning to get a bit worried”
“I’m quite safe” she responded “how’s the patient?”
“Sleeping” he replied
“No I’m not” interrupted Katie
“How’s her temperature?” Carole asked
“I’m not due to take it again for another half an hour” he replied
“Well take it now while I’m on the phone” she insisted
So he did as she asked and it hadn’t changed since lunchtime.
“Should I give her, her tablets now?” Jack asked
“No the nurse can do that when she gets there” she replied
“Ah” he exclaimed
“Ah what?” she asked suspiciously, so Jack told her about the phone call he took while she was in with Katie.
“I wish you’d told me Jack” she said crossly, “I would have stayed”
“That’s precisely why I didn’t tell you” he replied
“Were you that desperate to get rid of me?” she asked sadly
“Never that” he replied
Carole eventually conceded his motives were well meaning and gave him his instructions for the evening, and promised to ring again later.

It was about 7 o’clock when he woke up in the armchair after a short doze just in time to see Katie coming out of the bathroom.
As she stood in the doorway with the bright bathroom light behind her.
“What are you up to?” he asked
“I needed the loo” she replied
“I should have been helping you” he said
“I didn’t want to wake you” she said “and I don’t need help to pee”
So he helped her back into bed.
“If you promise to behave while I’m gone, I’ll make you some supper” he said “what would you like?”
“I’m not hungry” she said
“You should try and eat something” he insisted “how about some soup?”
“No not the soup again, it gave me wind” she answered
“I noticed” Jack said
“Oh, you didn’t?” she exclaimed and blushed
“I think my fever is getting worse” she continued fanning herself at the same time.
“Could I just have another cup of tea” she asked and sank back into the pillows.
“Of course you can?” he said but he didn’t think she heard the answer.

While he was in the kitchen he made himself a sandwich and ate it at the table before he went back upstairs.
After her cup of tea Katie said she felt up to watching something so he held up the two DVDs he brought upstairs earlier and let her pick.
So they watched “The Philadelphia Story”, well in truth he watched it while Katie drifted back off into a fitful sleep.
He touched her forehead and it was still burning hot but although the room didn’t feel cold she was shivering so he pulled the throw up over the top of the duvet.

About 9 o’clock the phone rang, so he got up from the armchair and hurried downstairs.
“Hello?” he said
“Oh Jack, thank God” Carole exclaimed
“Carole? Why are you ringing on the landline?” he asked
“The network is down because of the blizzards” she explained
“And it’s taken me an absolute age to get this number, I had to phone the Club first and spoke to someone called Kylie, then she phoned Jacey, who phoned James, who phoned Elise, she then phoned Gemma who spoke to her mum then her mum phoned me”
“I’m guessing the call from her mum wasn’t a quick one”
“No, she’s a chatty woman isn’t she?” Carole said with a laugh
“Well you got me in the end” he said
“Anyway how’s the patient doing?” she said back to business
“She’s still very hot and she’s sleeping a lot” Jack explained
“But she’s not sleeping soundly and she’s not resting comfortably”
There was silence from the phone so he continued
“I think that’s a good sign isn’t it? That means she’s fighting it off” he said hopefully
“How’s her appetite been?” Carole asked avoiding his question
“Not good” he answered “she hasn’t eaten much at all, but I’m keeping her hydrated”
“Hmmm” she responded
“Is hmmm good or bad” he asked
“Neither” she said “Keep watching her closely and hopefully the fever will break by morning”
“And if it doesn’t?” he asked
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, call me if there is a change” She said, her voice cracking “I’ll get to you as early as I can in the morning”
And then she was gone.

Jack slept in the uncomfortable armchair in his room beside the bed and woke up just after 2 am with pins and needles in his arm.
He gingerly picked up his dead arm with his unaffected hand while life flooded painfully back into it.
Having successfully restored blood flow to his stricken limb he walked downstairs to the kitchen.
While he waited for the kettle to boil he looked out the window and it appeared to have stopped snowing.
He opened the back door and looked out, it had stopped and the wind had died away and when he looked up he could breaks in the cloud.
He closed the door again and made a mug of Milo and went back upstairs and Katie was still restlessly murmuring in her sleep so he settled back into the armchair from hell, drank his Milo and dosed off again.

When he came to, an hour and a half later he forgot where he was, he couldn’t see much in the darkness and there were no familiar sounds to aid him, and then it dawned on him, there were no sounds at all, and the room was full of silence.
He quickly fumbled with the light switch on the lamp and eventually switched it on to reveal there before him, peacefully sleeping in his bed was Katie.
He stood up and walked to the bedside and sat down on the edge of the bed, she was breathing un-laboured and when he touched her forehead it was cool and clammy, her fever had broken.
Jack sat there for about 20 minutes just watching her sleep then quite suddenly she licked her lips and opened her eyes and after a moment she looked at him and smiled.
“Could I have an omelette?” she said “I’m starving”
And Jack burst out laughing.

While Katie sat in bed devouring a four egg omelette he went downstairs and phoned the Doctor
“Hello” A tired voice croaked
“Carole?” he asked not sure if he had just woken some poor unsuspecting stranger
“Jack?” she replied “is everything ok?”
“The fever has broken” he said
“Thank God” Carole responded “is she still sleeping?”
“No” he replied “she’s eating an omelette”
And they both laughed

He hung up the phone and picked up his mobile and he could see he had a signal so he assumed the network was back up so he sent Kayleigh a text with the good news then he went straight back upstairs to find Katie mopping up the last remnants of her omelette with her third slice of bread.
“Was that to madam’s satisfaction?” he asked her in his pompous butler’s voice
“Lovely” she replied wiping her mouth with her serviette.
“Have you had enough?” he enquired
“Oh yes” she replied “if I have any more I won’t enjoy my breakfast”
“What about another tea?” he suggested
“Oh yes please” she replied with a grin

Chapter 30 – Enthroned Angel

While he was downstairs Kayleigh replied to his text and said she was snowed in up at the hospital but she would be home as soon as she could.
When he returned to Katie with her fresh mug of tea he said
“I phoned Carole, she’ll be here when the weather permits, and Kayleigh just texted saying much the same thing”
And as he sat back in the armchair Katie said
“She loves you, you know?”
“Why would Carole love me?” he asked flippantly
“Kayleigh loves you” Katie said
“I know” he said honestly “But not the way she loves Carl”
“Yes” she mused “she still loves him very much”
“She’s still in love with him” he continued “And Kayleigh will never leave him”
“I know it’s a real “till death do us part” kind of thing for her” Katie said “which is how it should be”
He nodded in agreement and added
“That’s why we spent Valentines apart”
“You love her very much though don’t you?” Katie said
“Yes I do” he replied “more than I have ever loved another soul”
“So its true love for you then” she added
“Yes it’s definitely that” he conceded
“What a tangled web we weave” Katie said philosophically
“Yes life can be very complicated”
“It’s not life that’s complicated, life is just life, its people who add the complication” Katie corrected him
“You are very sage Katie” he said
“Don’t mention food” she said “I’m still hungry, when’s breakfast?” he looked at his watch and said
“Not for a couple of hours yet”
“Damn” she cursed and holding out her mug “can I have some more tea then?” and she gave him her trademark lopsided grin as he took the mug from her.

He went downstairs to the kitchen and made her another mug of tea and as he was about to ascend the stairs with it the front door opened and Nanook of the North stepped into the hallway.
The figure was dressed in a fur hat, long winter coat with a heavy woollen scarf wrapped around the neck and knee length boots, although the occupant couldn’t be seen clearly.
“Carole?” he said, “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t have anything better to do” she replied
As she un-wrapped the scarf from around her neck and took off her fur hat he asked.
“Where’s your car? I didn’t hear you pull up,”
She sat on the stairs and unzipped her boots
“Do the honours?” she said holding out a leg so he put down the tea on the hall table and pulled her boot off.
“I parked at the surgery and walked up” she replied as she held out the other leg “how’s Katie?”
“Fine, she’s just waiting for this”
He replied and picked up the mug of tea.
“I’ll take that up,” she said taking it from his hand before heading up the stairs so he went back into the kitchen and made drinks for the two of them.
Half an hour later, long after he’d finished his drink and had poured Kayleigh’s down the sink she came back downstairs and was wearing her overcoat again.
Jack walked out into the hall to meet her and asked
“Do you want a cuppa?”
“No” she replied “I need to get going”
She sat on the stairs and put on her boots and added
“Katie is asleep again, so you can leave her until the nurse gets here and I’ll pop in again later”

Ten minutes later just as tiredness was beginning to set in he had another visitor when Kayleigh’s smiling face appeared at the kitchen door.
“Hi Hon, you made it then, do you want coffee?
“No thanks I want some Valentine’s loving” she replied
“It’s not Valentine’s Day anymore Hon” Jack said
“It’s close enough” she responded as she unbuttoned her coat and kicked off her shoes then Kayleigh stepped in close and they kissed and his hands settled on her waist which then pulled her closer to him.
Her kiss was warm and sensual and every fibre of him tingled.
She pulled her lips away but still close enough that he could feel her breath as she spoke
“I want you so badly but I know we can’t”
“Later honey” he said “But we can have a cuddle on the sofa”
“That will have to do to be going on with” she said resignedly

The sofa was now in the study since the move around so they made their way down the hall and Kayleigh sighed with contentment as they cuddled up underneath a tartan throw and promptly went to sleep.

It was two hours later on that Friday morning after Valentine’s Day when Jack was rudely awakened from his slumber by a persistent banging sound.
Which was particularly annoying as he was snuggled up comfortably behind Kayleigh on the sofa beneath a tartan blanket and was in no mood to relinquish his privileged position.
But the banging continued and he suddenly remembered.
“Nurse” he shouted
“No, me singer, you Club owner” Kayleigh said and chuckled and then she added.
“I can dress up as a nurse if you like, blue cotton dress, puffy sleeves, starched white apron, black stockings and underwear optional”
She chuckled again
Bang, bang, bang,
“No” he said, “That’s the nurse”
“Oh shit,” Kayleigh exclaimed
Jack jumped up from the sofa and rushed to the door but before he went out he looked back and said
“I like the sound of the nurse’s uniform by the way Hon, so hold that thought”
Then he rushed down the hall to the front door where he took a breath and then opened it and the tall ruddy-faced figure of George Dallas was standing there.
“I’m so sorry George” he said “it was a bit of a long night, do come in”
“No problem Jack and how is the patient now?” he asked as he stepped inside.
So he briefly told him that after a restless night Katie’s fever had finally broken in the early hours.
He paused briefly at the foot of the stairs to ask if she had eaten anything and what fluids she had, had and then he went upstairs.
Jack went back to the study and found Kayleigh laying on the sofa with the tartan throw wrapped around her.

“It’s George Dallas” he said “he’ll be done shortly”
“Are you coming back for a cuddle when he’s gone?” she asked coyly
“Absolutely” he replied “I’m keen to learn more about the optional underwear”
“I meant optional articles of undies, not yes or no” she corrected him and laughed
“You stay here while George is upstairs and I will come and get you when he’s gone”
Then he kissed her and left her alone.

He was in the kitchen washing up when the George came back down.
“Ok Jack she’s still sleeping soundly, her temperature is fine, and I didn’t wake her so I have left her meds in a cup on the bedside table” he said
“You can leave her sleeping for another hour or so but no more than two”
“Thanks George” he said and showed him to the door.
“Were you serious about letting me ride your horse?”
“Absolutely” Jack replied “Any time you want to just liaise with Lily, she might even ride out with you”
“That would be nice” he said wistfully “Thanks Jack”

When the front door closed behind him he went back down the hall and enjoyed another hour long cuddle after which he left Kayleigh laying under the throw and went upstairs and looked in on Katie who was just getting out of bed.
“Morning Katie” he said
“Morning Jack” she responded “Is it time for breakfast yet?”
“Yes it is” he replied with a chuckle “do you want it in bed?”
“I think I’d like to come downstairs for it if that’s ok” she said
“Of course it is, bath first?” he asked
“Mm, please” she answered
He left her sitting on the bed and went in the bathroom and ran the bath.
“Can I come in” Kayleigh called as he was on his way back to get Katie
“Yes” they chorused and after five minutes of chatter
Kayleigh took over the bath routine and Jack went down to cook breakfast.

As Kayleigh had been up at the hospital all night she hadn’t eaten so she joined them for breakfast, obviously her overnight vigil had left a hole in her reserves, which needed to be filled, because she cleared her plate and had some off Jacks as well.
She nearly choked as she stole the second chipolata off my plate and I said
“Haven’t you had enough yet?”
“Not nearly enough” she replied

It was almost 10.30am as they sat at the kitchen table having consumed their full English breakfasts and were just finishing their tea when Katie yawned and Jack said
“Tired already, all you’ve done is eat and sleep since your fever broke”
“Well you know me and fried food, and that bed is so comfortable”
She replied
“There’s no reason why you can’t carry on sleeping up there” Jack suggested
“No I couldn’t,” she said definitely
“Of course you can” Jack insisted
“Where will you sleep?” Katie asked
“Well, in one of the other four bedrooms or my study” he replied
“You don’t need all the paraphernalia down here yet and you can see visitors up there just as well as in the lounge”
“You’ll be much more comfortable up there” Kayleigh added
“I’ll change the bedding of course,” he said “you were a bit of a sweaty Betty”
Then it was Kayleigh’s turn to yawn
“I need to get to my bed” she said and got up and kissed them both on the cheeks.
Jack followed her out of the kitchen and helped her on with her coat before kissing her goodbye properly.

After Kayleigh had gone he made Katie another drink.
“Are you ok sitting in here while I go and make the bed?”
“Of course” she replied “I rather like it in here”
Jack went upstairs and changed the bedding and after depositing the dirty set in the wash bin he carried the laundry basket downstairs.
“Your bed chamber is ready for you madam,” he announced
“Could I stay down here a bit longer?” she asked
“I don’t see why not” he replied.
So he set up an armchair in the corner of the kitchen for her with plenty of cushions, and she was very pleased with her throne.
“Great” she said, “now I can enjoy the view”
It was a nice view down the garden to the woods he had to agree though he rather took it for granted.
“More importantly” she continued, “from now on I’ll be closer to the food”
They both laughed but it was a pleasure she wouldn’t be able enjoy towards the end so to quote the Reverend word for word she said
“I intend to make the most of it while I can”

Later that morning, having discussed it with Katie first, he phoned Sarah at the surgery about resuming visiting.
Katie felt guilty for letting people down by not being able to see them, now that she was feeling better she was keen to try and reduce the backlog.
They didn’t see Kayleigh anymore that day or Doctor Anderson for that matter as an hour after speaking to Sarah they heard the news that a customer had collapsed in Stephenson’s Corner shop.
It happened as Carole was actually passing by the shop on the way to the surgery.
She attended to him and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, which was some time as there were delays due to the previous night’s snow.
This made her exceptionally late for her rounds, which kept her, occupied for the rest of the day and as she was away for a family occasion that night and they wouldn’t see her again until Tuesday.

After lunch Katie went upstairs for a rest, and she slept all afternoon which gave Jack a chance to catch up on the laundry.
In the evening Katie had a couple of visitors, who she received in the lounge, and then a very apologetic out of breath district nurse called Gwen arrived.
When she had gone Katie and he had a very passable lasagne courtesy of the European home cooked Meal Mountain in the chest freezer.
After that Katie watched him clear away before he carried her upstairs where she got herself ready for bed.
Jack stayed on hand just by the bathroom door in case he was needed but he wasn’t and she emerged and made herself comfortable in bed.
“There’s nothing quite like fresh bed linen is there?” she said
“No indeed there isn’t,” he agreed
One she was settled they finished watching “The Philadelphia Story” and then he read a few chapters of Harry Potter before the long blinks set in and she was ready for sleep.

Chapter 31 – Overwhelmed

Saturday morning was a much quieter affair than the day before and he was up and dressed before the nurse knocked on the door, that days was called Molly, who he had seen before and they chatted briefly before going up to see the patient.

Mid-morning Katie was sat on her throne in the kitchen when they had two unexpected visitors, Elise Riley, who was an IT security analyst, and her friend Sarah Peters, Verger at St Lucy’s, receptionist at the Doctors surgery and organizer of the care rota.
They were very apologetic for not going through the proper channels, Sarah promised to chastise herself for usurping her own system but they were going out for a lunch date.
Elise was in a very serious relationship with Jacks friends and colleagues at the Club, James Lynch, while Sarah was hoping for a similar outcome with her heart’s desire, Jacey Linton, another of Jacks friends and colleagues who had as yet not done anything about their obvious mutual attraction, Emily and James were trying their hardest to rectify that situation.
“We were on our way out so we thought we’d just pop in and say hello,” Elise said.
They only stayed for half an hour then left them in peace to eat lunch.
In the afternoon he asked Katie what she would prefer TV or book and she answered
“Cribbage”
So Katie spent the next couple of hours wiping the floor with him until the new Vicar Paul Massey and his fiancé Martina Wingrove arrived.
They were staying that night as Jack was going to be at the Club late into the night as Jacey was on patrol with the Roving Angels.

They were all sitting around the kitchen table laughing and joking when there was a knock at the door, he checked the clock on the wall and thought to himself “that will be this evenings Nurse”.
But when he opened the door he found it was Gemma.
“Hi Gemma, I was right then” he said
“Right about what?” she asked
“I was just thinking that it’s time for the frumpy nurse to call and here you are,” he said
“You cheeky devil” she said punching his arm
After she had attended to Katie she joined the rest of them for an Indian takeaway.
Kayleigh wasn’t in attendance as she was feeling under the weather and she didn’t want Katie catching whatever it was that she had.

As they were demolishing their curry banquet Katie declared
“This is one thing I am definitely going to miss”
Now far from this putting a dampener on proceedings it prompted raucous laughter and a deep theological discussion on whether heaven could truly be heaven without Indian food.
In the end the consensus was that Indian and Chinese would be available but Pizzas would not.
After dinner Martina helped Katie get ready for bed and Paul and Gemma cleared away while Jack got into his work clothes.

As it turned out he had company on the drive over, or at least part of the way, as Gemma needed a lift into Purplemere as she had abandoned her car there when the snow started to fall, she didn’t like driving in snow so she left it and caught the bus.

On the journey they discussed a variety of things firstly her love life and how her relationship with her next door neighbour Tony Vassell was going, this was merely nosiness he was genuinely interested as it was important to him because they were both good friends of his, then he wanted to know how Hannah Peters was getting on up at Plaxton Park, this was also important to him as he had been instrumental in getting her the job, her answer in both cases was “Excellent”.
Finally they discussed Katie’s nurses and did he have any complaints about them.
“Not that I’m sending them for your benefit” she pointed out and laughed.
“I think they are all brilliant” he said “And so does Katie, nothing is too much trouble for them”
“They all love her that’s why” Gemma said
“You know Katie is completely overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness, she doesn’t understand how much she is loved or how special she is and how much they appreciate her being in their lives.
When they reached Purplemere she directed him to the appropriate car park and he pulled up next to her car.
“Thanks for the lift Jack and for everything else” she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

After a long incident packed night at the club he felt a mixture of exhilaration and guilt, the former because he had forgotten how vibrant Saturday nights could be on a good night and the latter because he had enjoyed being there and not being at home and looking after Katie.
Because it had been such a great night he was the last to leave and arrived home just before 5 am.
He dumped his jacket and coat on the back of a kitchen chair and went upstairs to look in on Katie before he crept into the spare room and crawled into bed and fell instantly asleep.

Jack didn’t see or hear the Nurse that morning so he had no way of knowing which one it was that day.
Paul Massey went off early to St Lucy’s for the morning service while
Martina stayed to attend to Katie until he resurfaced.
Katie had wanted to go to church herself but as she was still recovering from the fever she got the last time she went, it was decided in her best interests that she should stay home, and credit to Martina for standing her ground.

She had a lot of visitors that Sunday, 12 in all and she had already had 4 before Jack got up and another 2 before he appeared in the kitchen showered and dressed for the day.
Within ten minutes of his arrival Martina rushed off to join her beloved Paul and Katie and Jack settled back into their own familiar routine.
Had he known however that she had already spent much of the morning with visitors he wouldn’t have agreed so readily to the six she had in the afternoon, and as a result it completely wore her out and Katie had a very uncomfortable night as she had unfortunately done too much.

Because of her poor night’s sleep and her obvious discomfiture the nurse gave her a sedative and Katie slept a lot of the day.
This enabled Jack to spend Monday afternoon in the loving arms of Kayleigh in her house.
Thankfully Katie had a much better night’s sleep on Monday night.

Chapter 32 – Rescue Mission

The next morning he left Katie sitting on her throne in the kitchen while he took a walk down to Stephenson’s to pick up some bread and milk and as he walked down the road he saw Elise Riley walking the opposite way carrying a bag of shopping and they engaged in conversation.
Jack was in a hurry as he didn’t really want to leave Katie on her own for any longer than necessary but Elise did like to chat.
But she obviously picked up on his anxiety as after a few minutes of chatting she suggested she could go and sit with the Vicar while he did the shopping.
He gave her a hug and a kiss and told her that the front door was on the latch.

He rushed around the shop and quickly picked up the essentials they had run out of and returned home and relieved Elise and the rest of the day passed off without incident as did Wednesday and Thursday, apart from a visit from Sarah Peters who called in to apologize for turning up with Elise without an appointment.
“That’s ok” he said
“Without rules there would be anarchy Jack” she said contritely
“And I broke my own rules”
“You’re being too harsh on yourself” Jack said but he suggested to her that perhaps visitors should be spread out across the day so Katie could rest between visits and Sarah took the suggestion on board.

Jack was seeing Kayleigh everyday but only for an hour or two across the day as life with Katie had seemed to settle into its own pattern and Friday was no exception until lunchtime at least when he found him back at the shop where he found Reverend Massey in a blue funk pacing up and down and muttering to himself.
“Hello Reverend, is everything ok?” Jack asked
“No Jack” he said “Everything is not ok”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a minibus full of pensioner stranded in Mornington and no one to drive them back” he said
“Why? What happened to the driver?”
“He’s drunk” Reverend Massey replied
“You’re joking”
“I wish I was” he retorted and then proceeded to explain what had happened.
St Lucy’s had organized an outing for the pensioners of the Parish which consisted of a tour around the Finchbottom Vale, lunch in Mornington, and afternoon tea in Shallowfield beside Teardrop Lake before returning to Turnoak.
All was going well while visiting Mornington village, the church, the Manor and the famous Mornington Mills but while they were wandering around the village the driver sat in the Old Mill Inn and got plastered.
Everyone he had asked either didn’t have the confidence or the D1 entitlement to drive the bus.
Drivers who passed their car driving test, which was officially referred to as category B entitlement, before 1 January 1997 were automatically given D1 entitlement on their license to drive a minibus, assuming there was no payment involved from or on behalf of the passengers.
Jack did have D1 entitlement on his license and heard himself volunteering to drive the minibus for him, provided he could find someone to look after Katie while he did so.

So after lunch on Friday Jack left Katie in good spirits with Tania Carter-Thinn, who taught at St Lucy’s school, to keep her company while Kayleigh drove him to Mornington to collect the minibus and its occupants.
“What is the collective noun for a busload of pensioners?” Jack asked as they left the village.

It was nice to get out of the village and spent some time with Kayleigh, just the two of them even if it was only for a short time.
Kayleigh enjoyed it too and was in a very jovial mood.
On the way across the Vale it started to rain, and within five minutes the sky had grown really dark and thunder cracked in the distance.
Then the rain fell ever harder until the wipers could barely cope, as luck would have it they were just approaching a lay-by so very wisely Kayleigh turned into the lay-by to wait for the rain to abate.
“Well this is cosy I wonder what we could do to pass the time” she said and started nibbling his earlobe as the thunderstorm took hold.
“I didn’t think that was the reason we stopped here,” he said weekly
“It wasn’t, but when opportunity knocks”
“Fair enough” he conceded and kissed her as thunder boomed so loud above them that it shook the car.

When the thunder moved away and the rain had gone from deluge to persistent they reluctantly returned their thoughts to the reason they were on the rain soaked Vale in the first place.
On arriving in Mornington they found the minibus parked in the pub carpark and that its passengers had taken refuge inside the Old Mill Inn and a drink or two had been taken, Jack also learned that the driver had been taken into custody by Sgt Jones who was the local police presence.
Sgt Jones had also taken the minibus keys into custody and Jack had to walk over to the police house to retrieve them once he had proved he was in a fit state and was qualified to do so.
He was not an unreasonable man and actually saw the funny side but Jack gave him some complimentary tickets to the Waterside Club by way of an apology for the disruption to Village life.
And Sgt Jones suggested he get his charges on board quickly before he had some drunk and disorderly’s to deal with.
The two men were laughing and joking as they walked the short distance to the pub.
“Good luck” Sgt Jones said as Kayleigh marshalled the inebriated pensioners towards the minibus.

Once they had the drunken pensioners on board the bus Kayleigh got into her car and she was laughing as she drove away.
The journey back to Turnoak was very noisy and the passengers were boisterous and his ears were ringing by the time he returned to the village.
He parked the minibus in the church carpark and got out and went around to the passenger side and helped the inebriated passengers step down one by one.
“Thank you Jack” Mrs. Clark slurred as she stumbled down the step just as Reverend Massey emerged through the door at the top of the church steps.
“Oh dear me” he said as he looked at the walking wounded as they staggered towards their homes.

“Here you are Vicar” he said and handed him the keys
“I can’t thank you enough Jack” he said “and I don’t know what to say about their behaviour”
“Don’t be silly, it’s not your fault, and they were actually very amusing” Jack said “And they know some very unchristian songs”

When he got back to the cottage Katie was sat in the kitchen with Tania Carter-Thinn, who stood up and excused herself within minutes of his return.
As the front door closed Katie let out long sigh.
“Thank you God” she said looking to the heavens,
“Katie” he rebuked her
“I don’t mean it” she said, “Tania is a lovely person but a little too pious”

In the evening Kayleigh called in on her way to the hospital, it was only to be a short visit, but once she and Jack started to tell the tale of their afternoon adventure they made Katie laugh until she cried and time got away from her so she was late leaving and they didn’t see her again until Saturday.
Later that night as he sat in the uncomfortable chair next to Katie’s bed she said
“You’re a very kind man Jack”
“What’s brought this on?” he asked
“Well letting me stay here, in your house, in your bed, looking after me” she elaborated “and today driving the minibus to help Paul”
“We all have to do what we can as we go along the road” he said “that’s all”

Chapter 33 – Riding Out

On Saturday Jack rose early to a beautiful sunny morning, the nicest morning they had seen for several weeks.
Katie also woke early and prompted by the certain knowledge that her future didn’t hold many such glorious mornings she arose as well.
It pained him greatly on such a morning that he had to chastise her for attempting the stairs unaided.
“I came down on my bum” she said, “It was quite safe”
As a result of her solo ascent she was seated on her throne in the kitchen when the nurse arrived, a pretty thirty something with strawberry coloured hair, called Sandra, barely five feet tall, slender and pale skinned and a nature to match her countenance.

It had been a few days since George Dallas finally plucked up courage to call Lily Soames and enquired when it would be convenient for him to come over and ride Trojan.
“Anytime” she said “Just ring first”
“But…”
“But?” she repeated
“I was just wondering if I could do it when you would be riding” he said “So we could…”
“Ride out together?” Lily said finishing his sentence or at least hoping that was the sentence he had in mind
“Yes” he said with relief
“How about Saturday, after I’ve mucked out” Lily suggested
“Great I’ll see you then”

On Saturday he had risen early and decided to go to the stables and rather than wait until after mucking out he would go early and surprise her as she was bound to be up early to muck out.

He walked across the yard and spotted a girl in her mid to late twenties walking a horse out of the stable, she was a petite slim and attractive girl with hair the colour of pure honey and the girls name was Lily.
“Blimey you’re keen” she said, when she saw the tall thin man thirty something man with pale skin and strawberry blonde hair, and she was hoping it was her he was keen on and not just the horse.
“I thought I would come and give you a hand with the mucking out and then we would be finished earlier and get a longer ride” he said
“Really?” she asked
“Yes” he said “I thought it would be nice and weather is set to be lovely”
“Great” she said “Grab a shovel”

It was nine o’clock when they finished cleaning the stables and feeding the horses and by the time they had changed and then saddled the horses, it was an hour later when they rode out of the yard in bright sunshine and under a clear blue sky.

They didn’t talk much on the ride as Lily was out in front on her chestnut mare, Hazel, and he had been quite preoccupied with looking at Lily pert bottom rising and falling in the saddle, to think of anything to say anyway.

It had been such a beautiful morning that they rode considerably further and longer than Lily had originally intended so on the way back to the stables they decided to walk the horse’s part of the way to rest them a little.
They were up in the hills overlooking Hawthorne and Lily suggested they walk up to Albaspina praesidio, the site of a roman garrison, which was a bit of a tourist attraction, but more importantly than that they had a coffee shop.
George readily agreed as it wasn’t particularly out of their way.
“I haven’t been there for years” Lily said “not since junior school”
“Nor me” George agreed
“Yes but they were still building it when you were at school”
Lily said and laughed raucously
“Cheeky” George said but laughed as well.

After a very welcome coffee and an even more welcome bacon roll they decided not to take in the ruins, but agreed they would do that another day after which they headed towards home, though they took the scenic route and talked all the way.
So as they were walking down the Mornington road, both spattered in mud, Lily said.
“So have you enjoyed riding Trojan?”
“Oh yes he’s a joy to ride” he replied and then added “But it’s the company that makes it more special”
Lily smiled as George had to look away to hide his embarrassment
“Well in that case we had better do it again” she said “But it won’t be for a few weeks, I’m booked solid”
George was elated at her first statement but was crestfallen at the second but found himself saying.
“What about dinner?”
“Oh yes, dinner I can do anytime” she replied and smiled broadly

Chapter 34 – The Revelation

White Rose Cottage had a number of visitors during the course of the day; all of them sanctioned by the efficient Sarah Peters, but none of them stayed for long.
In the evening there was no repeat of the pretty nurse from that morning but instead they were blessed with a pretty doctor when Carole Anderson walked through the front door.
“Hello!!” she called “Anybody home”
“In here” Jack called back
He was alone in the kitchen at the time Carole walked in wearing a cocktail dress.
“Wow” he said “Aren’t you a bit overdressed for a house call”
“It depends who I’m calling on” she replied
“So why do we get the special treatment?” he asked
“Oh it’s not for you, I’m having dinner at Gemma’s”
“So it’s still going well with Craig then” Jack asked
“I can’t complain” she replied coyly, Craig Frost was Gemma’s brother and Carole had been dating him since Burns Night.
“Where’s Katie?” she asked changing the subject, a split second before the toilet flushed.

Carole took Katie into the lounge and did the medical stuff while Jack prepared the evening meal, well preparing was perhaps stretching a point as in reality he just put a frozen Pasticcio into the oven, and Kayleigh arrived just as Carole was leaving for her dinner date.

After dinner and when everything was cleared away it was time to get Katie upstairs for the night.
“Right miss” he said “Are you going to be Miss independent again or do you want me to carry you up”
“Carry please” she said quietly, like a naughty child.
Jack picked her up and instantly thought she was getting lighter, he carried her upstairs and Kayleigh followed behind them, then Jack sat her on the bed and Kayleigh took over.

On Sunday morning it was Jacks turn to be a greeter at St Lucy’s and he had to leave Katie in Kayleigh’s capable hands and after the service it took him an age to get away, partly because of his benevolence towards Katie but mainly because everyone wanted to hear about the drunken pensioner saga.
When he eventually returned home he was greeted by the marvellous aroma of Roast pork wafting down the hallway.
He went straight along to the kitchen to find Katie and Kayleigh hard at it cooking Sunday lunch.
“Wow roast dinner” he said “that’s great I’m starving”
The two women turned their heads towards him and simultaneously looked him up and down and said in unison
“At last”
“It wasn’t my fault” he said defensively and explained the circumstances of his tardiness and reduced them to laughter again with the retelling of the minibus incident.

After a delicious lunch Kayleigh and Jack cleared away while Katie sat in her armchair and chatted to them.
“As soon as we’re finished its Sunday Matinee time,” Jack said
“What do you fancy?”
“I don’t mind” Katie said
“Do you have “It’s a wonderful life”?” Kayleigh asked “I know it’s a Christmas film really but I love it”
“Oooh that’s my sisters favourite” Katie announced
“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Jack said and he didn’t know that despite the fact that they had dated briefly during their first year at University.
“I have two,” she replied proudly
“Older or younger?” Kayleigh asked
“Both older,” Katie replied, “I’m the baby of the family”
Kayleigh and Jack just smiled and nodded
“Anne is the oldest, and she and her husband Rory live in Ethiopia where they run an orphanage, and Marion lives in Alaska where she married a local man Bob and they run a Church School in a remote settlement”
“Wow, do you get to see them often?” Kayleigh asked
“No, no I don’t” she replied sadly
“When did you see them last?” I queried
“Seven years ago at Maz’s wedding” she replied and then Kayleigh asked the difficult question
“Do they know?”
“Yes” she answered
“Are they coming back to see you?” Again it was Kayleigh with the hard question
“No, I’m afraid not” she said sadly “they live too far away and they don’t have the money to fly over”
There was a brief silence when Kayleigh and Jack didn’t know what to say, Katie picked up on their failure and filled the silence.
“We write and email and talk on the phone when we can, we’ll get to say goodbye one way or another”

After the film Kayleigh stayed for supper and helped get Katie settled before she went off to see Carl and then he read the Philosophers Stone to her until it was finished.

Chapter 35 – Finding the Watsons

Monday passed without incident and was an uneventful day and on Tuesday George Dallas was the nurse of the day and was in a very chipper mood and while he attended to Katie Jack searched in the lounge for the Vicars address book, which only took him a few minutes to locate, and it took another five to find the information he was looking for and he was just leaving the lounge as George was coming down the stairs so he offered him a coffee and after checking his watch he accepted and while they sat in the kitchen he found out the reason for his chirpiness.

Just after George left, the phone rang, and when he answered it, it was Paul Massey asking if, providing she was up to it, he could steal Katie away for a few hours for a Women’s Institute luncheon.
“I’ll ask Katie and call you back”
So he checked with the Vicar and she was actually quite excited at the prospect so he agreed.

After getting her ready he waved her off and then walked down to the doctor’s surgery to see the receptionist Sarah Peters.
After taking her to one side he gave her the names and addresses of Katie’s sisters and asked her to arrange tickets for them.
“I didn’t know she had sisters,” she said
“Nor did we” Jack answered and took his wallet out of his pocket and took a credit card and handed it to her.
“First class open return” he said “and charge it all to this”
“Yes Jack” she said “Leave it to me”

When he left the surgery Jack went across the road to the shop before returning home and that lunchtime while the Vicar was being entertained by the W.I. he had a quiet intimate lunch with Kayleigh.
It was a wonderful interlude and they were feeling very pleased with themselves, they would perhaps have been less pleased had they realized when Katie returned from her Women’s Institute luncheon she would be stepping through his front door for the very last time.

Katie had very much enjoyed her lunch date but she said she was quite tired and would have a little nap.
Jack and Kayleigh were also quite tired courtesy of their own lunch engagement so they fell asleep in front of the TV only waking when George the nurse knocked on the door.

After having attended to Katie, George said goodbye and then Kayleigh left for the day as well and Jack went up to check on the Vicar.
Katie was refreshed by her sleep and was hungry enough for supper though she chose to eat it in bed.
She fell asleep while Jack read her “The Chamber of Secrets”.

As February was drawing to a close the winter seemed reluctant to loosen its grip and as the week went on Katie was in increasing more discomfort and after lunch on a cold damp Thursday afternoon he phoned Doctor Anderson and Carole said she would be calling in the next morning to see if it was time to increase her meds.

Contrary to the old adage March came in like a lamb and gave the inhabitants of the Vale their first glimpse of spring and along with the early spring sunshine the lovely Dr Anderson arrived with an expression on her face that didn’t match the morning.
“I’ll go straight up,” She said

She was upstairs for about half an hour and her expression was no brighter when she came down than it was on the way up and she walked straight over to Jack and hugged him.
“Everything ok?” he asked
“I didn’t think we’d have to go onto the strong stuff for another week or two” she replied “It’s progressing faster than I imagined”
And for the next ten minutes Carole sobbed into is chest.

The new pain management was stronger than before but had a smaller window of effectiveness, which meant the nurse’s visits would increase and within a week or two would necessitate a nurse on duty overnight.
For his part Jack wanted to maintain some semblance of routine with Katie as long as possible so he kept up with the Harry Potter.

Carole gave the midday injection and in the evening Gemma Frost called in at the usual time, they chatted for a while and then as she was leaving she said
“See you at midnight”

Jack was starting to get used to the uncomfortable chair as he read another three chapters from “The Chamber of Secrets” and he only stopped at three, as there was a knock at the front door which he opened a few minutes before midnight to find Gemma standing on the step in the cold night air.
“Come in” He urged her “you don’t have to knock”
Gemma went straight upstairs and when Katie had had her injection Gemma left and Jack turned in for the night.

The rest of the first week of March passed in a comfortable routine in which, day by day saw Katie spending almost imperceptibly more time sleeping and weariness came over her at great speed.
Nothing much else happened though, he saw little of the village and his only contact with the world was through the visitors who came to see Katie and he saw very little of Kayleigh as Carl had pneumonia.

The only significant moment of the week was on Thursday when Sarah called round to see him.
“Any news about the sisters?” he whispered to her in the kitchen.
“Yes” she replied “and no”
“Ah” he responded
“I managed to track down Marion and her husband and they’re flying into Heathrow on Saturday afternoon” she said
“Excellent” he said thoughtfully
“You did mean for me to get two tickets?” she asked doubtfully
“Of course” he said “sorry for being so ambiguous”
Sarah paused for a second relieved she hadn’t over stepped the parameters of her brief.
“Anne on the other hand is proving to be a little more elusive, she and her husband are visiting outlying villages and I haven’t been able to contact her yet,” she said with a sigh before adding “she may not get here in time”
“All we can do is pray,” Jack suggested

After a week without seeing Kayleigh he was very low so Carole suggested he needed to get out for an hour or two, so on Friday lunchtime he left Katie in the very capable hands of Paul Massey, who would relieve him for a couple of hours, and he took a walk around the village and then ended up in the Hen and Chickens and in one corner he found his very good buddies Gemma Frost, Elise Riley, Sarah Peters and her sister Hannah.
“Jack” Elise shouted and the other three cheered when they noticed him as well, it was clear some drink had already been taken.
“Hello darling” Gemma said extravagantly as she stood up and kissed him.
“This is great” he said genuinely “I haven’t seen you all together in one place for an age”
Then Hannah, Sarah and Elise also embraced him.
After all the hugging and kissing Elise was about to go to the bar and get him a drink when Carol Pittman, the Landlady, arrived with a pint of best bitter.
“Courtesy of Bill Abbott” she said
“Thanks” he said and nodded in the direction of Bill and that set the trend for the afternoon as drink after drink appeared courtesy of appreciative villagers.
Jack had to take it a bit steady as it would not have been difficult to get completely shit faced, but eating a big lunch helped.
It was very enjoyable catching up with the girls and what they were up to.
Elise updated him on how things were going with his friend James while they ate, then Hannah talked about how things were progressing with another of his friends Gary Spiers and even Gemma joined in and proudly spoke about her new beau, Toni Vassell, who she had known for years but had only recently got together with him.
Sarah Peters who was the only one of the group as yet unattached though she was in love.
But her heart’s desire, Jacey Linton, another of Jacks friends and colleagues had as yet not done anything about their obvious mutual attraction.
For Sarah’s part she was embarrassed by her drunken behaviour when they all met up in Purplemere before Christmas and didn’t think he would be at all interested in her as she had been so embarrassing.
That was not however how Jacey thought at all, he didn’t find her embarrassing in the least bit, he thought she was lovely, what was holding him back was the fact that because she was so lovely she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone ordinary like him.
However just because Sarah was not in a relationship she still delighted in everyone else’s good fortune, Jack thought it was about time he gave Jacey a stronger nudge in her direction.
“So tell me what you’re all up to this weekend,” he asked
“It’s mother’s day weekend” they all said in unison.

Jack and Gemma walked back up the road together and she said she was being taken up to London for the weekend by her sons but Jack would have a very different weekend.

He spent Friday evening feeling a bit dopey as a result of all the lunchtime hospitality but he still managed to finish reading “the Chamber of Secrets” to Katie and then read the first three chapters of “the Prisoner of Azkaban” before they called it a night.

Chapter 36 – The Second Angel

Saturday began in much the same way as any other day of the preceding weeks.
Nurse, bath time, breakfast and visitors, same old same old,
With one notable difference namely a constant stream of text messages from Sarah updating him on the progress of Katie’s sister Marion.
The flight leaving from Alaska was delayed, which meant they missed there connecting flight in New York which meant waiting to get on the next available flight and all of this information was conveyed to him via text, which meant he was up and down like a seesaw.
Finally the message came saying they were on their way, this meant instead of the flight landing early on Saturday afternoon it wouldn’t arrive until tea time so they wouldn’t arrive at the house until well into the evening so he left Sarah to arrange for their collection from Heathrow after that he heard no more, and as annoying as Sarah’s constant texting became, he soon found that hearing nothing was ten times worse.

Just before lunch he went into the kitchen and found Katie sitting on her throne with her arms folded and a real sulky expression on her face.
“What’s up grumpy?” he asked
“Shut up I’m sulking” she replied curtly
“I can see that” he responded “but what are you sulking about?”
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with Marion, we always Skype on a Saturday morning at breakfast time, breakfast time here yesterday bedtime for her, but this morning nothing” she said despondently
“I wouldn’t worry, it’s probably just the weather, they have a lot of it up there you know” he suggested
“You’re a great help” Katie retorted
Katie soon shook off her sulky mood and spent the afternoon soundly thrashing him at crib.
He had had numerous more texts firstly from Sarah updating him on arrival times and then from Martina, who along with Paul was meeting Bob and Marion Clode at Heathrow.
They had picked up the baton as he had to stay with Katie in order that she wouldn’t suspect anything, which she undoubtedly would have done had he gone himself.
So as it was, Katie and Jack spent the afternoon and early evening as they would any other day until Martina texted just after five to say
“Flight landed”
The nurse came slightly earlier than usual to attend to Katie in the usual manner and then stayed later than normal.
Meanwhile he was preparing dinner; again this involved frozen meals and a preheated oven, the only difference being that he had to cater for more than the two of them.
Just as he showed the nurse out Jack received another text from Martina
“20 minutes away” it read
Katie hadn’t yet reappeared downstairs, which was not a bad thing as it meant he didn’t have to distract her, but it was time to find out where she had got to.
So after he had checked the food wasn’t burning he went upstairs and found her lying on the bed asleep and he sat on the bed next to her and took hold of her hand in his,
“Katie” he said softy, but there was no response
“Katie” he said again a little louder and she murmured before opening her eyes
“Oh Jack” she said surprised “Oh dear I only closed my eyes for a second”
“It’s time to come downstairs for supper Hon” he said
“Can I have it in bed tonight?” she asked
“No not tonight” he replied
“Oh go on,” she begged
“No” Jack said and stood up “now come on lazy bones”
He knew only too well that in not many more weeks she would be having all of her meals in bed
“You’re just mean” she said and begrudgingly got up

He did however concede to her request for a piggyback down the stairs.
Jack had just deposited her in the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door.
“Who can that be?” Katie said, “I hope it’s not more visitors”
Then as an afterthought she added
“Sorry God”
“I’ll go and see,” he said
When he got to the front door and opened it he found Martina and Paul standing there either side of a slightly older version of Katie, and behind them was a tall thin gaunt looking man who Jack assumed to be Bob.
“Hello” he said, then in a whisper he added
“She’s in the kitchen”
“Who is it?” Katie called
“It’s Paul and Martina” he called back
“Ok” she answered
“Come in, come in” he said
There was a brief period of silent greetings and handshakes then Jack led the way up the hall to the kitchen with Marion following closely in his wake.
Katie was stood at the table laying place mats and cutlery as he walked in.
“I think you might need to set a few more places,” he said
“Why?” Katie began to ask and then Jack stepped aside and for a moment there was complete and utter silence
“Maz?” Katie asked, “Is that really you?”
“Who else would it be?” Marion replied as she walked towards her floundering sister and they embraced.
“How?” Katie uttered as tears welled up in her eyes
“It’s all thanks to Jack” Marion said and she began to cry as well.
After an emotional five minutes Marion gathered herself sufficiently to say
“Look Bob is here as well, you haven’t seen him since the wedding”
After Bob and Katie had been reintroduced Marion unbuttoned her coat
“But you haven’t met this one yet” she said and laid Katie’s hand on her bump.
“A baby?” Katie said and then the tears rained down again.
After the tears had subsided Katie turned her attention to Jack and wrapped her arms around his neck
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said “God bless you Jack”
Then Marion joined in and it all got a bit messy, and he was really way out of his comfort zone.
“Let’s eat” he said and kissed the two women on the forehead

They were all sitting around the table after the meal drinking coffee when Bob asked
“Is there a Hotel nearby?”
“Yes there is” he replied “but you’re staying here”
“No we can’t impose on you any further” Bob protested
“You have already done so much for us,” Marion added
“Nonsense, you’re staying here and that’s an end to it” he insisted

Martina had to leave after the meal as she was meeting up with her Sister Anne and driving to their mums for mother’s day.
So Jack helped Bob and Paul retrieve the Clode’s luggage from her car and then Bob and Jack left Paul and Martina having a snoggy farewell on the doorstep and carried the bags upstairs to one of the spare rooms.

As it was a special occasion Jack opened some wine and they sat around chatting.
When Katie got up and went to the loo Marion said
“You are a very kind man”
“Nonsense” he said rather embarrassed “let’s change the subject”
“What would have happened if you hadn’t been here when she had to leave the vicarage?” Bob asked
“Katie could have stayed at the Vicarage until the end if she’d wanted to; Paul was in no hurry to push her out, he was quite happy staying at the pub”
“Rather” was Paul’s only contribution
“The truth of the matter was Katie wanted to get out of Paul’s way, but didn’t want to go into a hospice so as I live alone here in a huge house, and I’m semi-retired it seemed like the perfect solution”
“You are a kind man though” Marion persisted
“I’ve been very lucky in my life and when I was in a position to help someone who is much loved in the village, I took it” he said
“Katie needs company, someone to help occupy her time and her mind, so that’s my role, so now can we change the subject”

Just after Katie returned Jack received a text from Kayleigh which simply read “I need to see you, please” but it wasn’t until about an hour later that he could act on it.
It was when Paul excused himself as he still hadn’t finished writing Sunday’s sermon.
By that time Bob was sitting in an armchair snoring loudly and Katie and Marion were talking 10 to the dozen completely oblivious to their surroundings.
So Jack decided to take his chance and leave with Paul
“I’m going to leave you two to catch up as I need to stretch my legs so I’m going to take a wander and get a nightcap at the Hen and Chicks”
“Ok” Katie responded with a knowing look, she guessed it wasn’t a nightcap he was going out for.
“Don’t wait up” he called

He walked with Paul as far as the Vicarage and then he turned down the lane by the Church, which led to the Bridle path that ran along the back of the houses, he followed the path until he reached the end of Kayleigh’s garden and he could see some of the house lights were still on.
Keeping in the shadows Jack made his way up to the house and tapped on the glass, it took a few minutes, but Kayleigh came to the door, she gave him a weak smile and opened the door.

“Thank you for coming” she exclaimed and wrapped her arms around his neck and almost squeezed the life out of him
“I didn’t know if you were coming,” she said
“Marion and Bob arrived today so I couldn’t get away and then I had to come round the long way,” he responded when she had released her grip and allowed him across the threshold.
“Is everything ok?”
“I just needed you to hold me” she said as she reattached herself to him.
“I’ve missed you so much”
She had spent more than a week at Carl’s bedside as he battled his pneumonia and long lonely hours at night when she couldn’t sleep and she had to take refuge in her studio pouring out her emotions into her music.
“I’ve missed you too”
“Please tell me you can stay?”
“Of course I can stay” he said and she hugged him tighter.

Chapter 37 – Winters Last Hurrah

In the early hours of Mothering Sunday morning Jack was gently shaken awake.
“You have to go darling,” Kayleigh said and kissed his neck
“What? Ok” he said
She had reluctantly woken him early in the morning so he could sneak back to his house before the household were up and about.
So it was on a dark Sunday morning in March after a lingering goodbye kiss in the kitchen that he slipped out the back door.

Jack exited her garden via the side gate and quietly opened his own kitchen door and found the house was in total darkness so he sat in Katie’s chair and went out like a light.
However he didn’t sleep for long as he was woken by the nurse at 7.45.
After she had left Jack took Katie a cup of tea and she said he could go back to bed if he wanted as Marion was going to get her up for the day.
He was grateful for the suggestion but he didn’t bother though, instead he settled for a long leisurely shower instead.

After showering and dressing for the day he decided that as they had guests and as he was up so early anyway he would set about preparing a roast dinner.
As they had company he served dinner in the dining room, a rare treat as he had only used that room on a handful of occasions since he’d lived in the house.
Along with the roast pork he even made Yorkshire puddings, which he normally had great success with but on this occasion, much to his embarrassment and Katie’s amusement, they came out more like Yorkshire biscuits.
Later when the nurse came and asked her what she had eaten that day she delighted in stating “Roast Pork and Yorkshire biscuits”
And then she fell about laughing.
Jack thought it was lovely to see her in such high spirits’ even if the joke was at his expense, it was well worth it.

It turned out to be a beautiful spring afternoon, the warmest day of the year thus far by some distance so after lunch Katie sat on the patio while he cleared away the lunch things and Bob and Marion went out to explore the village.

When he had put away the last of the dishes Jack made a drink and went out to join Katie on the patio.
As he put her mug on the table she took hold of his hand and said
“I know I’ve said it a lot but, thank you Jack, you’ve made me so happy”
“It was worth it just to see your face” he said and kissed her forehead.
As he sat down he added
“We just have to find the other one to complete the coven”
“You are so cheeky” she said and laughed

The warm spring interlude continued for the next few days but as the week went on it proved to be a false dawn and the cold weather returned with a vengeance and before the following weekend was out so did the snow.

With Marion and Bob in the house and the routine with the nurses running like clockwork he found himself with a bit of time on his hands.
His first thought was a night away somewhere with Kayleigh but Carl was still very poorly so that was a non-starter.

So after speaking to the girls and making sure they were comfortable with it he decided to pay some attention to his day job, namely the Waterside Club, so he locked himself away in his study for most of Monday and waded through all the emails that had accumulated.

The week passed by quite routinely and without incident apart from the excitement surrounding Kayleigh’s first appearance at White Rose Cottage for more than two weeks.
Katie was delighted to see her best friend and proudly introduced her to her sister.

Marion was going to stay in the UK for a couple more weeks, at least, but on Friday Bob had to fly back to the states so Jack drove them to the airport while Kayleigh looked after Katie.
It was a bitterly cold day but compared to Alaska, Bob and Marion thought it was quite pleasant.
He dropped Bob and Marion at departures and did circuits around the block for the next twenty minutes while they went inside and said their goodbyes and Marion was in tears when she got back in the car and Jack had to comfort her, which was never his strong suit and they eventually got back to the village mid-afternoon.

Having spent time alone with her on Friday, Katie suggested he take Kayleigh out for the day on Sunday to cheer her up a bit, take her out of herself, so on Sunday after church he left Marion looking after her sister and drove out of the village just as it had started to snow.

They had no planned destination other than to get out of Turnoak and find somewhere to eat lunch, so as they reached the Finchbottom Road they made a conscious decision to turn left and head towards the “Granges” which were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of West, East, Upper and Lower Grange and Grangemount, Grange Forest and Grange itself but they had no particular destination where they were going to head to as neither of them had been to the Granges before.
So they chose Grangemount village and The Old Bell Inn, in particular because Kayleigh’s tummy grumbled.
“The Old Bell Inn it is then” he said and they both laughed

It was bitterly cold as they got out of the car and the snow began to fall hard and fast as they approached the Inn.
Once inside the old Tudor Inn they found a cosy welcoming fire burning in the hearth and a bar full of customers.
They enjoyed a pleasant afternoon and the meal was excellent, it was only pub grub, but it was excellent pub grub, but most of all they enjoyed just being together.
In fact they were so absorbed by each other that they didn’t realize the other customers had been slowly drifting away until there were only five remaining, including them.

After Jack had settled the bill and Kayleigh wrapped up against the cold they stepped out into the carpark and it was obvious that the disappearing customers weren’t the only thing they hadn’t noticed,
“Oh dear” they exclaimed
The snow which began to fall hard as they arrived had clearly continued to fall and it was laying quite thick.
“Well I think we’re in for an interesting journey” Jack said
“Is it safe?” she asked
“We’ll soon find out” he retorted “Come on”
Jack took her hand and they started to walk gingerly across the carpark just as a car drove hesitantly towards them and when the new arrival pulled up alongside them the driver wound down the window and said.
“If you’re thinking of leaving, I’d think again”
“Is it bad?” Jack asked
“There is a tree down on the Finchbottom Road and the only other road out of Grangemount is up a 1 in 4 hill” he said and the man wound his window back up, so Jack and Kayleigh looked at each other and did a U-turn and headed back to the welcoming fireside of the Inn.
Fortunately they had stopped for lunch at an Inn and not just a pub so they went to the reception and managed to secure their last room.

At first glance Jack thought the room was a bit small and dingy but then they had been a bit spoilt with the hotel they stayed at in Sharpington so he chastised himself for being such a snob, Kayleigh on the other hand was just happy that they had a room together.
Jack sat on the bed and while Kayleigh was in the bathroom he phoned home to tell Katie and Marion they were snowed in, in Grangemount.
Katie said she suspected as much as the nurse was having to stay at the house, as she couldn’t get out of the village, that put his mind at rest so he said goodnight and promised to be back as soon as possible the next morning.

It was a lively evening in the bar as Kayleigh and Jack were not the only stranded guests and even some of the staff were stranded and were going to be sleeping in the bar that night.
As a result of the convivial atmosphere some drink was taken, quite a lot in fact but not enough for them to turn their noses up at bacon and eggs the next morning.

They got away from Grangemount just after 10.30 and had a cautious yet picturesque journey home.
When they returned to Turnoak he dropped Kayleigh outside her house, partly because she wanted to get up to the hospital as soon as possible and assuage her guilt for enjoying every second she was away from him by spending the rest of the day with her husband, the other reason she didn’t want to go to Jacks was that she didn’t really want to be seen in polite company wearing the previous days underwear, so she got out and gave a “cheerio” and a wave, they’d said a very adequate good bye back at the hotel.

Chapter 38 – Shop till You Drop

When he went in to the house Katie fussed around him like he’d been gone for a week, which was a bit over the top but he thought it was nice to be missed.
It was one of the things he missed out on when he lived alone, having someone to come home to.

Over the preceding week Katie had begun to spend ever so slightly more time in bed each day and less on her throne in the kitchen.
Jack had thought for a while that she looked visibly different each time he saw her, which he convinced himself was just his imagination but having not seen her for 24 hours he realized it was not.

Marion had made lunch and the three of them sat and ate it together in the kitchen and while they sat at the table Marion said that while she was in England she really wanted to go shopping, but she didn’t really want to go alone.
However as Katie and Jack, for quite differing reasons, were unable in the former and unwilling in the latter to assist her, they set about finding a suitable companion.
After much deliberation between Katie and Jack they decided the perfect choice would be either Gemma or Elise or indeed both so he phoned Gemma that afternoon and she was thrilled to be asked and said she would speak to Elise and set something up.
Low and behold not an hour later Gemma knocked on the door and after introductions invited Marion round to hers for tea and a chat with her and Elise, who would be arriving shortly.
So Marion grabbed her things while Jack cleared away from lunch, after which Katie said she needed a rest so he carried her upstairs and settled her down,
“She’s definitely getting lighter,” he thought as he walked back down the stairs.

He was feeling a little tired himself but he made himself a coffee and went to his study to do some work until it passed.
Despite having woken himself up with the coffee he couldn’t concentrate, random thoughts kept filling his head, and all of them were about Kayleigh.
He leant back in the chair and reflected on how wonderful their bonus night together in Grangemouth was and wistfully looked forward to the next time and promptly fell asleep.

He woke up just in time to see the nurse leave and hear Marion, who had returned from her afternoon tea appointment, fussing around her sister and when Jack walked into the kitchen she had already got the evening meal well underway.

All the chat at dinner was about Marion’s new best friends; apparently they all got on famously.
He quickly snapped out of his silly mood and listened as
Marion said that she particularly wanted to go to Hanratty’s in Abbottsford because it had always been her favourite, and Marks and Spencer, for knickers and stuff, but mainly she just wanted to shop at the British stores she didn’t get in Alaska.
Purplemere had quite a good shopping centre and would probably have met most of Marion’s needs, apart from Hanratty’s but Gemma and Elise volunteered to take her to the Phoenix Shopping Centre in Abbottsford and make a day of it, so they were going to be out all-day on Thursday.
Inside, Jack was delighted, but he didn’t show it, and later he chastised himself for being a little jealous about having to share Katie.
The intervening days passed without incident and the green-eyed monster didn’t appear again.

On Thursday morning Gemma was knocking on the door even before the nurse had arrived and Jack watched as Marion and Gemma trotted off excitedly down the path to be met by an equally excited Elise at the end of it.
Almost the very moment Elise’s car pulled away, George Dallas, the nurse arrived and another day was off and running.
Kayleigh texted to say that Carl was having a bad day and she would be staying with him all day.
It seemed like an age since Katie and he had spent the day together, just the two of them but after breakfast he asked her
“Do you wish you could have gone with the girls today?”
“Good grief no” she responded with a scoff “I hate shopping”
“Really?” he asked astonished that there was actually a female of the species who detested shopping
“Yes” she replied, “I buy everything on line”
But then she corrected herself
“Bought everything on line”

They spent a very pleasant day together and Katie managed to resist the urge to take an afternoon nap so she could beat Jack at crib again and they had eaten supper and cleared away and were half way through “The Lady Vanishes” before Marion returned laden with bags and spent the next hour telling them all about her day and so enthusiastic was she in her description it was difficult not to be interested.

Bright and early on Friday morning when he opened the door it was to the familiar faces of Nurse Hannah Peters and his friend and lover Kayleigh Robinson.
“Hi you two,” he said
“Good morning” they chorused and he kissed them both.
After he had closed the door Hannah asked
“I’m a bit early,” she said looking at her watch “is she up?”
“She’s in the bath” he replied, “come and have some coffee”
“I’ll go up and see her first” Kayleigh said

When she came back down Fifteen minutes later Hannah went up and as they sat drinking coffee he asked
“How come you’re here so early?
“I’ve come straight from the hospital” she replied and added coyly “I just wanted to see you”
As the morning went on it was obvious to Jack that there was more to it than that.
She was excessively tactile, and occupied his personal space at every opportunity, she was like his shadow apart from half an hour when she was engaged deep in conversation with Katie upstairs.
“I’m a terrible person Katie” she whispered
“I’ve been sitting at my sick husband’s bedside and all I can think of is Jack”
“That’s understandable” Katie said
“But I feel so guilty, so disloyal” she retorted
“Well you shouldn’t, you gave up everything after Carl’s accident, that’s how loyal you have been and now you have allowed yourself to feel alive again, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it, life is too short, and no one knows that better than I”
“I’m sorry Katie, I’m so selfish” she said and hugged her friend
“Hush” Katie said
“Carl is your past and Jack is your future but for now you have to walk the line between the two, but one thing you must not do is to allow guilt to corrupt either”

When she came back downstairs she was in touchy feely mode again, though not to the point of rubbing up against him like an overly friendly puppy, but she was like sticky glue and followed him everywhere.
Eventually he could take no more when she followed him into the utility.
“What is the matter with you today?”
“I just want to hold you and kiss you” she replied and wrapped her arms around him
“Well we can’t do anything about that at the moment” he said and kissed her “We are not alone”
“What if we were?” she asked
“That would be different” he replied “but we’re not”

Just before midday Jack was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Katie and Kayleigh was perched on the kitchen counter.
The Vicar was reading aloud from an old magazine, it was an article about a charity fancy dress Parade, there was a picture from the event which Katie showed them showing three individuals all with black curly wigs, black faces with white circles around their eyes.
All of them were wearing typical golliwog or minstrel costumes of red, white and blue.
“It was during the annual Charity Event that three individuals dressed as minstrels allegedly caused offence” Katie began “a police spokesman said “we have received several complaints and are investigating the circumstances””
“Sounds like a waste of police resources to me” Jack said
“Hold on there’s more” Katie interrupted “the spokesman went on to say that “in addition to trying to find the minstrels we are also seeking the whereabouts of the Jackson 5””
All three of them were laughing and Katie was in tears when Marion came breezing into the kitchen and didn’t have a clue what all the frivolity was about.
They all had lunch together and Jack and Kayleigh were both independently trying to figure out how they might grab half an hour of private time to no avail but as they were clearing away after lunch all their prayers were answered as Gemma was ringing to invite Marion to go over to Purplemere for the afternoon, there were apparently some things that Marion couldn’t get the day before.
So that was that, “Thank you God”
As soon as Katie settled down for the afternoon Kayleigh would get to hold her lover like she’d been craving all day.

When Jack was upstairs putting Katie to bed
“Are you ok?” Katie asked, “You seemed a little distracted today”
“I’m fine” he lied
“I think Kayleigh is the distraction” Katie said
“How could she not be” he agreed
“She wants you every bit as much as you want her, you do know that?” Katie said and Jack kissed her forehead and said
“I love you Katie Watson”
“Of course you do” she said smugly
“Just one thing Jack”
“What’s that?”
“Get her to sing again, when Carl has gone, make her sing again” she said and closed her eyes
“For you anything” he said and closed the door
Katie was a very perceptive woman, sharp as a knife, and the combination of her illness and the medication could quite easily dull the blade, but it hadn’t.

After he put Katie to bed and he wandered downstairs and as he approached the kitchen he caught sight of Kayleigh staring out the kitchen window.
He walked up behind her and hugged her and she leant back against him.
“Penny for your thoughts”
“Save your penny, they’re all about you” she said and turned to kiss him.

They spent the afternoon on the sofa in his study, just holding each other, while they listened to music, nothing more than that and they stayed there until Marion phoned to say not to cater for her at dinner, as she and Gemma would eat out.

Suitably refreshed after an afternoon of relaxed intimacy with the man she loved Kayleigh kissed him goodbye before she left to sit with Carl and then Jack went to the freezer and selected a pasta bake from the well-stocked freezer and put it into the oven to warm.
Half an hour later he made a cup of tea and went upstairs to wake Katie.

After drinking her tea Katie asked if she could have another bath and after telling her off for forgetting she didn’t need to ask he ran her a bath and helped her get in.
At six o’clock he was sitting in the kitchen when the front door opened and Doctor Anderson walked in with her medical bag.
“Hello” she called
“In the kitchen” he called back
For a variety of reason he hadn’t seen her for a while and when she walked in she was dressed in her familiar professional garb.
“You’re looking very lovely doctor” he said, “Do you want to feel my pulse?”
“Behave yourself” she said “I can kill as well as cure, where is she?”
“Upstairs” he replied “she’s in the bath”
“Ok” she said, “I’ll go up and see her”
“Then will you feel my pulse?” he asked
“Stop it” she said “or I will hurt you”
“Something smells nice,” she added
“Not as lovely as you” he said cheesily
“Behave,” she said and laughed
“Are you going to eat with us?” he asked
“Yes I’d like that” she replied
As he walked her to the stairs he thought that, as she hadn’t seen Katie in a while he should warn her that she might notice a significant difference.
“I know what to expect,” she said

They ate together and Jack could see Carole assessing what Katie was eating and making a mental note.
Her portion size had decreased significantly over recent weeks and when he helped her into the bath it was obvious that there was less flesh on her bones.
Jack had noticed just carrying her up the stairs that there was less of her.

After they had finished eating, Carole helped him clear away and then said she had to make a move and when she opened the door she met Marion coming the other way.

Chapter 39 – The Third Angel

Friday evening passed with the three of them enjoying simple pleasures and congenial company, but it proved to be the lull before the storm as later on Friday night Katie took a turn for the worse so the weekend was rather less tranquil than any of them would have hoped for and was spent in constant anxiety.
Her appetite had been slowly tailing off for some while but she had been in a lot more discomfort than she allowed them to know.
Carole was called and they had two days of uncertainty as the doctor tried to get her medication right.

On Monday it was decided to move her back downstairs and into the hospital bed in the lounge.
Carole was in regular attendance while still covering her commitments at the practice and late on Monday Carole met will Gemma to put the second phase of nursing care into effect.
This plan dispensed with the district nurse visits which were to be replaced by a night nurse arriving at 7.00 pm and leaving 12 hours later.
When they first started discussing nursing care back in February Jack remembered Carole saying the night nurse wouldn’t be required until near the end.
So on Tuesday morning when Doctor Anderson told him a night nurse would be there that night Jack went cold and he grabbed her arm and asked in hushed tones
“Is it that time already?”
All Carole said in reply was
“You’d better find the other sister soon”

After Carole had gone he phoned Sarah Peters at the surgery to see if there had been any word from Ethiopia.
“Yes” she replied “and no”
“Here we go again,” Jack thought
“I had a very garbled call from a woman, who I think was Anne, but she was very incoherent”
“What makes you think it was her?” he asked
“Well she sounded very far away,” she said realizing as the words left her mouth how stupid they sounded, and they sounded very stupid indeed and had it been anyone other than Sarah Peters saying it he would have dismissed them.
“Could you make anything out at all?” he asked
“She definitely said “two days” and I think she also said call again” she said “but the rest was all rather Norman Collier like”
“Ok thanks Sarah” he said “let me know if she calls again?”
“I will” she replied and hung up.

As Katie was up and down Kayleigh was constantly on hand to support him and it was a very uneasy time for them all and even Marion, normally very bright and bubbly was very subdued and off colour, and as they were all focused on Katie no one had noticed she wasn’t eating properly and after lunch she fainted.
Once she was revived Carole ordered her to bed and chastised her for her foolishness, putting herself and the baby at risk.

Later on Wednesday evening the phone rang and when Jack picked up the call, a much-exited Sarah was on the line.
“It was her, it was her,” she shouted.
“Ok calm down” he said, “What did she say?”
“She’s going to catch the first available flight” she continued “which should arrive at Heathrow on Good Friday”
“Brilliant” he said “well done you”
“I don’t have any other details yet, Anne will ring again when she has her flight confirmed”

On Thursday they had a visit from the Bishop no less, who on hearing of Katie’s condition thought it advisable to tend to her spiritual needs.
“How is she?” he asked
“She’s been better, but she’s not on the threshold yet” he replied
“Good” he said “and thank you for all you are dong”
“There is no need to thank me,” he said
“But it’s a very noble thing you are doing Mr Morehouse”
“Not really Bishop I just have a lot of sinning to atone for” Jack replied flippantly
“No one sins as much as that” he said “I hope”
And as the Bishop climbed the stairs Sarah called him with the flight details for Anne’s flight from Ethiopia.

Under normal circumstances, i.e. if Katie wasn’t in crisis and Marion wasn’t on the sick list, Jack and Kayleigh would have made the drive to Heathrow Airport to meet Anne’s flight, but that was not the case.
So as Jack sat in the kitchen he had a thought which if played with finesse might kill two birds with one stone.

Apart from being the Receptionist at the doctors surgery Sarah Peters was also Verger at St Lucy’s Jack knew she was completely smitten with his close friend and colleague Jacey Linton and he with her and he had been waiting for an opportunity to give them a little nudge because Sarah and her heart’s desire, had done nothing about their obvious mutual attraction.
For Sarah’s part she was embarrassed by her drunken behaviour when they all met up in Purplemere before Christmas and didn’t think he would be at all interested in her as she had been so embarrassing.
That was not however how Jacey thought at all, he didn’t find her embarrassing in the least bit, he thought she was lovely, what was holding him back was the fact that because she was so lovely she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone ordinary like him.

Jacey had very low self-esteem because he had worked for a man who treated him like dirt, a skivvy, over an eight year period which had eroded all his self-confidence, he was belittled at every turn and wiped away every ounce of his self-worth.
He felt so worthless that when Jack offered him a job he turned it down immediately stating it was beyond his capabilities it took him and James to finally convince him that he was capable enough for the job and wholly suitable to be manager of the Waterside Club.
He now just had to help one of his oldest friends to experience a love like he had with Kayleigh.

He picked up the phone and dialled Jacey’s number from his study
“Hey Jace, I need a favour”
“What do you need Jack?”
“Can you pick someone up from Heathrow tomorrow?” he asked
“Sure no problem” Jacey replied
“Great, can you meet me at St Lucy’s at 8 o’clock?” Jack asked
“Ok I’ll see you in the morning” Jacey said

After hanging up with Jacey he phoned Sarah at the surgery
“Sarah, its Jack”
“Hi Jack, is everything ok?”
“No that’s why I’m ringing” he said and proceeded to explain why with Katie and Marion under the weather he wasn’t able to pick Anne up from the Airport.
“I can do it” she offered
“I was hoping you would say that” he said “but I don’t want you to go alone so I’ve got you a driver and a bag carrier, so meet me at St Lucy’s at 8 o’clock”
“Will do”
“Ok bye” he said and hung up before she had a chance to ask who the driver was.

Jack left the house before 8 o’clock on Good Friday Morning and walked down St Lucy’s Church and waited inside until Sarah arrived five minutes later.
“Hello Jack” she said
“Sarah thanks for doing this” he said and kissed her cheek “Oh here’s your ride now”
Sarah turned around and saw a car pull up at the bottom of the steps and a man got out and when he turned towards the church she could see it was Jacey.
“You remember Jacey don’t you?” Jack said
“Oh yes” she said and she got butterflies in her stomach as Jack guided her down the steps.
“Jacey! Thanks for coming, Sarah here will be riding shotgun”
“Oh yes… erm hello… nice to see you again” he stammered and Sarah managed a smile but couldn’t speak.
“Sarah has all the info, so she’s the boss” Jack said before Jacey closed his door.

The journey to Heathrow was made largely in silence as they both tried desperately to think of something to say, and what little converse there was tended towards the monosyllabic.
When they arrived they parked in the short stay and walked to the terminal arriving just before 10 am and it was absolutely heaving and the arrivals board was liberally peppered with delays and cancellations.
With cancellations you know the score and you can turn round and go home, but with a delay you don’t know what to do, go or stay.
All they knew from the boards was that it wasn’t on time, they had no idea of just how long it would be, had they known they would still have been at the airport four hours later, they would have turned around and gone home again.
It was at 1.30pm as they had just finished their lunch when the board started to sort itself out and they finally had a definitive arrival time, 20.45pm.
Sarah and Jacey looked at each other in despair.
“This is not how I envisaged spending the day with you” Sarah said and blushed because she said it out loud
“Me neither” he said and smiled
“Well it appears we’ve got seven hours to kill” she said
“I know” he replied “but I have an idea, come on”
They left the terminal and joined the queue at the Taxi rank after picking up a pamphlet from tourist information, entitled “The Top Ten Things To Do In The Borough Of Hounslow”
Top of the list was the Kew Bridge Steam Museum which housed the Hawthorn Davey Pumping Engine and they looked at each other and shook their heads.
Number two was The Great Conservatory in Syon Park and again the looked at each other but this time they both nodded.
After about ten minutes they were in the back of a black cab and Jacey said to the driver “Syon Park please”

It was a cold day but beautifully sunny and the park and gardens were lovely but Jacey only had eyes for Sarah and she for him.
30 year old Sarah Peters had blue eyes and a friendly open face, she was a tall girl, almost six feet, stick thin, apart from her bust line, she also had very narrow hips and from behind she looked like a boy but her legs were absolutely stunning.
Jacey was eight years older than Sarah but was also tall and slim, with dark hair and eyes to match and she didn’t care that he was older than her and she loved the fact that he was actually taller than she was because it made her feel really feminine.
They walked around for more than an hour but despite the fact that it was sunny it was still cold and they couldn’t get inside the house because it was closed during the winter when the Percy family were in residence.
So noticing Sarah shiver Jacey took the pamphlet from his pocket and read down the list
“Let’s go and get a coffee” he suggested and they left the park to find a taxi.
He hailed a cab and Jacey said to the driver “London Apprentice, Isleworth please”
The London Apprentice was number 6 on the list and claimed to be the Best Riverside Pub in the borough with the best view of the river.
The pub was nice enough although they had both been in better pubs in Downshire and the view was also good but not a patch on The Finchbottom Vale.
But one thing they couldn’t deny was the quality of the coffee, which was very welcome as was the warmth of the fire.
They stayed for two coffees and a Danish pastry and then left the warmth of the pub and took a walk beside the river.
They had been walking for about 10 minutes and were completely absorbed in what the other was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind, in fact they only knew he was there when he shouted get out of the way, so they jumped sideway just in the nick of time and Sarah stumbled, so Jacey reached out and grabbed her hand and prevented her from falling, and once she had hold of his hand there was no way on earth she was letting it go.
In fact the only time she did was when they got in another cab, although as soon as they were seated she claimed it again.
Their destination this time was St Michael & All Angels Church in Bedford Park.
It was a relatively modern church, built in the early 1880s and designed by acclaimed architect Richard Norman Shaw, and looked rather unremarkable from the outside and nowhere near as impressive as St Lucy’s but they both thought its beautiful Arts & Crafts interior was well worth seeing.
After they left the church they crossed the road and had a nice meal at the Tabbard pub directly opposite the church.
After desert and coffee Jacey looked at his watch and it was 8 o’clock and the flight was expected at 20.45pm
“We have to go” he said “it’s due in 45 minutes”
“Really? But there are still places on the list we haven’t seen yet” she exclaimed
“We’ll have to do them another day” he said
“Promise?” she asked
“Promise”

They jumped in another cab and got to the arrivals hall dead on 8.45 and quickly checked the boards and the flight had just landed.
So they went to find themselves a place to sit and had to go some way before they found two seats together and as soon as they were seated Sarah took hold of his hand again.

They stayed seated until the Addis Ababa flight flashed “baggage in hall” and then they made their way back to the gate where they waited patiently at the gate and studied the passengers as they filed towards them.
They had her name boldly written on a piece of card, which Sarah held up so she wouldn’t miss them, but as it turned out they didn’t need it, as they both instantly recognized her, Anne was just a well-tanned slightly taller version of Katie.

They left the terminal at 9.20pm and arrived back in the village 80 minutes later.
Sarah texted Jack to say they were on the way and he responded telling her to text again when they were outside.
Sarah did as instructed and the porch light went on so they walked quietly to the house and Jack opened the door and they stepped equally quietly inside.
Marion was in the hall and silently came to meet them and hugged and kissed Anne, then Anne slipped off her coat and tiptoed along the hall.
Once she had reached the door to the lounge she took a breath and walked in.
“Hello baby girl” she said
Katie turned towards the voice and took a double take before she responded
“Annie? Is that really you?” and then she cried.

Jack thanked both Sarah and Jacey and apologized for the fact they had ended up spending all of Good Friday waiting in the Heathrow arrivals hall for hours.
“Don’t apologize” Jacey said “We had a great day”
“Yes we did” she agreed and held his hand
“Good I’m really pleased” Jack said
“Now get yourselves home you’ve had a long day”

Sarah didn’t want the day to end, for her the day hadn’t been long enough, but she wasn’t confident enough to know if he felt the same way or not.
But she needn’t have worried, he did feel the same way, in fact Jacey thought she was gorgeous, tall and slender with nice long legs.
“I don’t know about you but I’m not tired yet” he said
“No nor me” she said
“Then you are both more than welcome to stay and have a drink or two” Jack said

Chapter 40 – Completing the Host

After the tearful reunion of the Watson girls, a glass or two of champagne was consumed before everyone retired to bed.
Jacey had been persuaded to stay the night but walked Sarah home first.
The nurse stayed up all night with Katie, and Marion, Anne and Jacey were in the spare rooms, and when all was quiet Jack slipped out the kitchen door and spent the night with Kayleigh.

The next day Kayleigh and Jack woke early and lay awake talking.
She said she would be spending Easter Sunday with her husband Carl which he expected as she always did on the holidays but on Monday she suggested they could go for a drive and have lunch somewhere.
“We might get lucky and get snowed in again” she said
They talked for about an hour about everything and anything and during the converse he got the germ of an idea about planning a trip for her birthday.
After which he left her in bed and returned home before anyone else was up and about.

Kayleigh joined them at White Rose Cottage mid-morning as did Doctor Anderson and the latter spent a few hours with them, which was just as well as Marion had another fainting episode.
Carole again ordered her to her bed and then spent some considerable time examining her but Marion recovered sufficiently to come down for dinner after which Carole went home and the rest of the day passed without further incident.

When Jack woke up on Easter Sunday he found the village in the teeth of a storm, and he supposed that as March had come in like a lamb it was duty bound to go out like a lion.
As it was the holiest day of the year he decided to brave the elements and take Anne down to St Lucy’s for the Easter Service, Marion wanted to go too but they managed to convince her otherwise.
Anne’s appearance in the church turned a few heads because of her striking resemblance to Katie but she was warmly received to such an extent Jack had to drag her away at the end on the pretence of being late for lunch.
It was a little white lie about lunch, as it wasn’t going to happen until after he went home and cooked it.
As it had been a bit of a funny week, Sunday lunch had been a little short on planning, as it was Easter Sunday he should have had something special planned, whereas he had nothing planned at all.
So after checking the freezer, the cupboards and the fridge, lunch was a bit of a mish mosh cobbled together from what he had in which he turned into a buffet.

After lunch was eaten and cleared away Marion went off to bed for a rest while Anne sat with Katie and Jack went to his study in order to leave them to chat.

On Monday morning before he left the house, he found the three sisters were all together in Katie’s room, talking ten to the dozen.
“Blimey, it’s like the witch’s scene from Macbeth” he said
“Don’t be Cheeky” Katie said, “Are you off to see Kayleigh?”
“Yes, I’ll be back later” he replied “by the way, for lunch you’ll find there’s some eye of newt and toe of frog in the fridge”
“Yes thank you” Katie said “see you later”
Then he stuck my head round the door and said
“The scale of dragon is in the cupboard with the other condiments”
“Go now or we’ll shrivel your extremities” Anne shouted after him.

Jack and Kayleigh drove out of the village to Grangemount again but this time they had lunch at a restaurant called the Pigs Trotter and while they were together, apart from enjoying some excellent food they did get to spend some time engaged in conversation, which was when he told her he had a surprise for her birthday.
However despite her employing an array of temptations and inducements he refused to divulge the nature of the surprise.

The following day Kayleigh took a phone call from her grandmother to say her grandfather had taken a tumble so she had to drive up to Roespring for a week and then when she returned she would get her surprise gift meanwhile Jacks attention returned to the Watson girls.

As Katie was spending all of her time in bed he spent much of the time of that week reading to her from the Harry Potter series or playing crib while Marion knitted baby clothes and Anne played Solitaire.
It was an almost idyllic scene but for the fact that one of them was dying.
Marion’s health however continued to be a source of concern to Dr Anderson.
Eventually after a week and a half of fainting spells and erratic blood pressure it was decided that Marion should return home to Alaska before she reached the point where she would not be able to or worse endanger her health or that of the unborn baby.
There were a good deal of tears shed before and after the decision was made.
So it was on the second Tuesday of April that Sarah Peters, accompanied by Anne, drove Marion to the Airport, while Jack stayed with Katie and consoled her.
“I’m sorry about Marion,” he said feebly as he held her and after a moment or two she replied.
“I’m not crying because Marion had to go home, I’m crying because I got to see her again before I die”
Jack had no response to that but to softy weep.

Later when the tears subsided Katie said
“I’m so glad my sisters are happily married and doing good things in the world”
“They are good people,” he said
“Yes they are” she said proudly “thank you for making it possible”
He didn’t want to have that conversation again so he quickly changed the subject
“Why did you never marry Katie?” Jack asked
“That’s an easy one” she replied, “I never met a man I loved more than God”

Chapter 41 – Birthday Songbird

The next day Kayleigh returned from Roespring with the good news that her grandfather was on the mend, having been left with a few bruises, no broken bones and wounded pride.
So Thursday morning, he packed his bag for Kayleigh’s birthday treat.
Jack was uneasy about going away for the best part of three days but however any suggestion that he might postpone the trip till a later date was immediately snuffed out
“Life goes on,” Katie said firmly so he said his goodbyes, making sure they knew where to reach him and walked out to where Gemma Frost was waiting by her car with the boot open.
After putting his case in the car he walked to Kayleigh’s and got to the front door just as she was coming out with two bags.
“Have you got enough luggage?” he asked, “We’re coming back on Saturday”
“Yes but back from where?” she asked, “All you said was pack an assortment of clothes”
“Well let’s get going then,” Jack said and loaded her bags in the car
“But where are we going?” she pleaded
“London” he replied curtly
“Where in London?” Kayleigh asked impatiently and he replied
“London is all you need to know for now”
“You’re very annoying,” she said sulkily

Gemma drove them to Purplemere station where they caught the London train and when they got to Waterloo he led her to the taxi rank.
Taking their turn he opened the door for Kayleigh and quietly instructed the cabbie.
“The Waldorf please” he whispered
“No problem guv” he replied
“What was that? Where are we going?” she asked cursing herself for missing what was said.

When the taxi pulled up outside the Waldorf Hotel the concierge opened the door and Kayleigh got out, open-mouthed.
He followed her and turned to settle the fare with the cabbie and then taking her arm they headed in to the lobby.
“Are we really staying here?” she whispered in disbelief.
Her eyes were like saucers as she took in her surroundings.
Once in their suite they christened the rather lavish accommodations in the style befitting the location before celebrating her birthday in grand style in the equally lavish restaurant.

The next morning they had a sumptuous unhurried breakfast before he drained his coffee cup and said
“Come on”
“What?” she gasped
“Come on we need to pack” he instructed
“Why?” aren’t we staying here?” she asked crestfallen
“We have a train to catch,” Jack said heading towards the door
“But…” she stuttered and trotted after him, quizzing him all the way
“I thought this was my treat”
“This was just part one” Jack informed her and kissed her

An hour later they were sitting in the back of another taxi, this time he didn’t whisper
“Kings Cross Station please”
“Where are we going?” she said petulantly and then stamped her feet.
So Jack laughed
“I hate you,” she said

Once at Kings Cross they made their way towards the International terminal.
Half way along the concourse Kayleigh stopped in her tracks.
“I refuse to take another step until you tell me where we are going” she said
“Paris” he answered “on the Eurostar”
“Paris?” she responded quietly “I’ve never been to Paris”
“I know,” he said, he knew she was well travelled in her singing days but he also knew she had never been to Paris “so let’s go”
After another twenty yards she stopped again
“Oh my God I haven’t got my passport,” she cried, “you didn’t say I needed my passport”
Kayleigh sat down on her case and put her head in her hands
“I can’t go without a passport,” she said sadly
Jack walked over to her and fumbling in his pocket he fished out her passport.
Which he had acquired from her house while she was visiting her grandparents in Roespring.
“You’ve got it?” she said in amazement and took it from his hand.
“You had it all the time”
She stood up and added
“I hate you” but undermined her statement by kissing him.

This wasn’t the first time he had taken a girlfriend to Paris on the Eurostar but he was mindful to make sure this trip would not mirror the one he took on the previous occasion in a former life.
He needn’t have worried as Kayleigh chattered away for the whole journey so full of excitement was she.

Once they had disembarked at Gare du Nord they made their way quickly to the taxi rank and joined the queue.
It’s a strange feeling getting into a taxi in a foreign country, not knowing your way around and not knowing the language.
In Paris it’s even stranger because the cabby doesn’t know his way around the city and he can’t speak the language either.
There is nothing quite as disconcerting as getting into a taxi and the drivers first act after you’ve given him the address is to immediately reach for an A to Z like they did the first time he crossed the channel at least in the 21st century they had satnavs.
That said the driver seemed to quickly plan his route and get them on their way and they arrived promptly at the Hilton Hotel and again Kayleigh disembarked open mouthed.

That evening they indulged themselves in the lavish restaurant to such an extent that they were completely stuffed and when they waddled out they decided they should take a stroll to try and walk off their excesses.
It was a warm evening and the city was beautiful in the moonlight and they eventually found themselves sitting on the edge of a fountain in a little park looking up at the moonlit sky.
“I love you Kayleigh” he said, he wanted to say I love you so much and I want you to marry me, but he knew it wasn’t the right time
“I love you too” she replied “and the time I spend with you is the only time I feel alive”
“Me too” he said and walked her back to the hotel and they made love.

The journey home the next day was a much quieter one, as we were both a little hung-over so on the Eurostar they slept the whole way from the Gare du Nord to Kings Cross.
When they got back to Purplemere Elise Riley was there to meet them at the station as Gemma was working.

Back in Turnoak they went their separate ways as Kayleigh had been called up to Plaxton Park so Jack had a sandwich and sat with Katie for about an hour, as she was anxious to hear all the details about the trip.
She was absolutely delighted to hear about the good time they had.
“You will marry her when the time comes won’t you?” she said “it would never have worked between us but you two are perfect together”
“I wanted to ask her in Paris” he replied and she nodded and closed her eyes.
As Katie drifted off to sleep he left her and went to have a catch up with Anne, principally on how Katie was doing, because it was glaringly obvious even after just two days that she was visibly different.
From then on they settled down into an uncomfortable routine, as all week long Katie seemed to be fading away before their eyes.
Anne and Jack tried to keep their own spirits up as much as Katie’s as they tried to keep to the established routine.
Carole and Kayleigh popped in whenever they could and the nurse was there every night but they didn’t get many visitors.
Emily and Davina still came and did the gardening and Mrs Cohen still came and cleaned and bless her she took the cookware, from the donated meals, away with her every time she came and returned them to their rightful owners, but apart from that it was just Jack, Anne and Katie.

The week passed slowly and he was grateful for that as the time he spent with Katie was precious and he knew that the time she had left was dwindling away.
One afternoon they had a familiar conversation, one that they had, had a number of times.
“You’re a good man Jack Morehouse” Katie said
“Nonsense” he replied “let’s change the subject”
“Don’t be modest,” she continued, “you are a good man”
She wasn’t going to let it go so he tried to steer her away instead
“I was in church once and the Vicar said, “It’s not enough to be a good person and do good things””
“What an extraordinary thing to say” Katie said, “I suppose it was a charismatic church”
“It was” he confirmed
“What did you do?”
“I walked out and never went back” he replied “in fact I didn’t go to a church of any kind for over a year”
Jack had successfully managed to steer her away from him and onto theology, which kept her going until she began to tire and she closed her eyes and he got up to leave and walked over and kissed her forehead.
“I still think you’re a good man,” she said quietly
“Hush” he said and looked down on the older version of the girl he had dated briefly during their first year at University,
But he knew in his heart of heart that they were not destined to be a couple their destiny was as very good friends and no more, but there was still a deep love there, though not a romantic one.

Chapter 42 – Final Plans

At 10 o’clock On Saturday morning there was a knock on the door and when he opened it he was surprised to see Sarah Peters, who was the Verger at St Lucy’s, Receptionist at the surgery and organizer extraordinaire.
“Hello Jack” she said
“Hello Sarah, This is a nice surprise”
“Weren’t you expecting me?” she asked
“No, I don’t think so” he replied
“Katie asked me to come” Sarah said
“Oh” he responded “you’d better come in then”
Jack showed her into Katie and closed the door and she was in there for over an hour before Gemma Frost arrived, quickly followed by Elise Riley, who had also been summoned.
So he showed them both into Katie’s room and closed the door again.
“Do you know what’s going on?” he asked Anne
“No I don’t” she replied with a puzzled expression.
Half an hour later the door opened and everyone decanted and much chattering ensued before they all evaporated away.
When they had gone Anne and Jack walked into Katie’s room.
“What was all that about?” Anne asked beating him to the punch.
Katie gestured towards two envelopes on the bed
“My last will and testament” she replied “and the funeral arrangements, the hymns, the readings, every detail”
“Oh” was all he could manage while Anne had to leave the room and stood in the hall crying.
“Isn’t that a bit premature?” he asked trying to make light of it.
“We both know it’s not” Katie said and forced a smile
He picked up the envelopes, one was a do it yourself Will, sealed, the other was open and contained the funeral arrangements.
“Can I?” he asked
Katie nodded and said
“I don’t see why not you’re in it”
“Am I?” he enquired
“Yes, you need to write and deliver the eulogy and say how wonderful I am, was” she replied
“Ah a work of fiction then” he said
“Very funny” Katie said and chuckled

On Sunday morning Jack felt the need for spiritual refreshment and walked down to St Lucy’s for the Sunday service.
It was a bright sunny morning and outside the church the congregants and villagers were thronging around and he realised he had forgotten it was the St Georges Day Parade.
Jack wandered around the crowd shaking hands, stopping to chat with friends and catching up on local news, taking comfort from the hum drum, eventually he ended up talking to Martina Wingrove and Hannah Peters.

When the parade and the service were over, Martina went off to find her fiancé Paul while Jack stayed and talked with Hannah until her Sister Sarah appeared, and after about twenty minutes they headed over to the Hen and Chickens.
He had a couple of drinks with the Peters girls before they went off to have Sunday lunch at Gemma Frosts house and he went home to find Anne in the kitchen making Spanish omelettes.

Jack spent the first half of Monday at the Club for a meeting with James and Jacey, which went very well so he was in good spirits but when he got home he found Carole, Anne and Gemma in the kitchen wearing grave expressions.
“What’s wrong?” he asked
“Katie’s had a bit of a downturn,” Carole said
“Why didn’t you call me?” he said crossly
“Because there was nothing you could do,” Carole said
“Apart from worry”
“And we had that department covered already” Anne added.
A wave of guilt washed over him as he came to terms with the fact that while he was discussing what has-beens and nobodies would appear on the bill for that summer’s comedy festival Katie had been suffering.
“You selfish bastard” he thought to himself as he sat down beside her bed where he stayed for the rest of the day, sitting in the uncomfortable armchair where he eventually fell asleep.

Jack awoke in the uncomfortable chair on the morning of St Georges Day with a stiff neck to find Katie was a little better than the night before.
He resolved not to put Club business before her wellbeing again and he never left her side for more than an hour at any one time and he never left the house for any reason.

Carole was at the house every day that week but despite her best efforts Katie continued to decline.
Jack sat at her bedside and tried to keep her going, though she had little or no conversation in her for the most part so he spent the time reading to her from Harry Potter.

By the weekend she had stabilized but Carole continued to come in daily and on Sunday she advised that they should call the Bishop as the end wasn’t far away, fortunately Kayleigh was on hand to give him the support Jack needed.

The mood in the house had been very subdued all week but by the time the Bishop arrived on Sunday evening the mood was positively downcast.
The Bishop went in to see Katie and they all sat in the kitchen.
About ten minutes later Reverend Massey arrived accompanied by Martina, Paul joined the Bishop and Martina joined the crowd in the kitchen and hugged them all one by one.
She told them that the word had spread through the village and the parishioners were holding a candlelight vigil at the church and a number had placed lighted candles on the path to the house.

After the Bishop had left Carole went in with the nurse to check on Katie and when she returned she said to us all.
“If you have anything meaningful you wish to say to her, now might be a good time to do it”
So they took it in turns to go in and say their goodbyes and the kitchen was awash with sobbing.
“I’ll get Marion on the phone” Anne said
“Good idea” they all agreed.

Jack spent another night in the uncomfortable chair and the next morning as he stretched out the stiffness in his neck he found Katie awake and lucid.
“I’ll be out of your hair soon” she said
“Don’t you talk like that?” he said crossly forcing back the tears and he took hold of her hand and continued
“I would give up my bed forever if it meant you could stay”
“Dear, dear Jack” she said and cried
That proved to be the last meaningful conversation he had with her as the morphine took hold and during the course of Monday Katie slipped into unconsciousness.

They took it in turns to sit with her during the day and when it was Jacks turn he sat and read to her.
He had promised in the beginning that they would finish the Harry Potter Saga before the end.
They had just started the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when she deteriorated, but he was determined to finish it.

The next day passed by in much the same way until the evening when Carole, Gemma, Anne, Kayleigh and Jack were all at her bedside.
Carole was knitting, Anne was crocheting booties, Gemma was doing something on her tablet and Kayleigh was holding Jacks arm as he continued to read Harry Potter to the assembled group and to Katie even though she had long since slipped into unconsciousness.
He finished reading about 9 o’clock and just before midnight less than three hours after he read the last words she slipped away.
And after Katie passed away Anne, Kayleigh and Jack had to leave the room while Carole and Gemma laid her out.

Long after Carole and Gemma had gone home Jack sat up in the uncomfortable chair next to Katie, or what was left of her, he knew the essence that was her was already in heaven but the loss was nonetheless hard to bear.
Anne said her goodbye to her sister and pottered around for an hour or so before going off to bed and Kayleigh kissed Jack goodnight and went home and left him to his vigil.

It was shortly after dawn, when he saw the sun rising above the trees, and he thought to himself and smiled
“Of course the dawn is brighter this morning, because Katie’s light is in it”
He kissed her cold forehead and wandered off to his room and crawled into bed.

He hadn’t been there more than fifteen minutes when the door opened and someone entered, he heard footsteps on the floor and then they were in bed cuddled up behind him and he could tell by the perfume that it was Kayleigh.
“I don’t want to be alone tonight?” she said
“Nor do I” he responded
He turned around and lay on his back and pulled her towards him so her head was on his chest and then they both slept.

The next morning he woke early to find the bed beside him empty, Kayleigh had left his bed sometime during the early morning but he didn’t notice her go.
He got up about 8 o’clock and found Anne in the kitchen making drinks he walked up behind her and kissed the top of her head
“Morning” she said “Coffee?”
“Yes please” he replied and the conversation remained in that mundane manner.

Carole came to the house about nine and hugged Jack
“How are you doing?” she asked, knowing how fond he was of Katie.
“I’m fine” he replied then she repeated the exercise with Anne and the ambulance came for Katie’s body about twenty minutes after that.
The rest of the day went by in a kind of blur and then Kayleigh came in the kitchen door and steadied the ship for him.

Chapter 43 – Farewell Angel

On Tuesday, Sarah arrived at the house for the reading of the will and the planning of the funeral, not that Katie left much to plan.
And as part of the plans Katie had wisely made Sarah the executor of the will and because of her obvious organizational skills had asked her to implement the funeral arrangements.

Apart from Jack and Anne, Kayleigh, Doctor Anderson, The Vicar Paul Massey, Paul’s fiancé Martina and Matron Gemma Frost were all in attendance.
There wasn’t much to speak of in her will she hardly had a vast estate to bequeath.
To Carole she left her gold crucifix, for Paul her collection of books, to Martina she left her a Celtic bracelet (Martina often admired it), to Gemma her gold wrist watch, and to Kayleigh her gold swallow broach (To remind her that she was a songbird).
All her clothes and the other meagre possession she left to the church to be disposed of as they saw fit and the residue of her estate was to be divided equally between her sisters.
And to Jack she left her, her bible, inscribed:
To Jack
“A good book for a good man”
With love Katie.
After reading it Jack had to excuse himself.

When he returned to the room they discussed the funeral which was to be a simple one with Kayleigh and Elise Riley doing the readings, Katie’s choice of hymns were Amazing Grace, Abide With Me and The Lord’s My Shepard and the eulogy was to be read by Jack, when he had written it.
The date for the funeral was set for Tuesday the 7th of May.

During the course of the week Anne, Jack and Kayleigh worked closely with Sarah on the arrangements.
Which they didn’t need to be involved in but Sarah involved them with all the minutiae because it kept their minds occupied.

On the Friday the medical supply company picked up the bed and such, which made the house, feel even emptier.
It was akin to that feeling after the Christmas decorations come down in January, only a thousand times worse.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend Kayleigh was at the hospital everyday so he only got to see her in the evenings, so during the day he and Anne spent quite a lot of time sorting through Katie’s things.
Not a pleasant task by any means so when the day of the funeral came it was greeted by them all with some relief.
Sarah Peters had been a rock and her hand on the tiller had steered proceedings to perfection.
Warm weather was evidence on the day of the funeral and such was Katie’s popularity that everyone wanted to pay their respects, however seating in the church was quite inadequate for the numbers wanting to attend.
Gary Spiers and Martina Wingrove, being in the sound business, had their company rig a sound system outside the church for the many people unable to get inside.
St Lucy’s was packed to the gunwales and it seemed like the whole village had turned out to say goodbye,
The village green and every available inch of verge and lane held the throng of mourners.
The service was a very moving one presided over jointly by the new Vicar Paul Massey and the Bishop.
When it came to the moment for the eulogy Jack rose from his pew where Kayleigh had been holding his hand and walked slowly to the lectern.
He stood and looked out at the sea of faces watching him and suddenly he was afraid, but then he felt a calming presence with him.
“Katie Watson was a good person,” he began “but then that was the very least you expected her to be, but she was so much more than that”
Jack paused and took a breath
“She possessed a demeanour that instantly put you at your ease, and as a result she was a person it was not easy to say no to, in fact she was a person you didn’t want to say no to, because you didn’t want to disappoint her”
He looked up from his notes briefly to see the heads nodding in agreement and then he continued.
“Not only that but Katie had the uncanny knack of asking you to do something and when she had you firmly committed to the task, left you with the feeling it was your own idea”
A ripple of laughter traversed the church and he paused until it subsided,
“Katie saw through the sinner and into the person within and when she saw YOU, the real YOU inside, the person behind the façade, you felt instantly connected to the world”
He paused again and looked out across the pews.
“And as I look around her Church I know that everyone here has felt her light upon them and for me the world is a darker place with her light extinguished”
He climbed down and returned to her seat and Kayleigh squeezed his hand and said.
“Well done darling”

As the Bishop finished the service, the congregation slowly stood as the six pallbearers moved forward and proceeded to carry the coffin down the aisle.
The pews then slowly emptied as everyone began to decant into the churchyard.
The burial itself, as per Katie’s wishes, was to be a more private affair.

So the bulk of the onlooker’s leisurely dispersed and made their way to the church hall for the wake.
Jack and Kayleigh were among the last to leave the church and walked slowly through the churchyard and joined the group of mourners at the graveside that consisted of those closest to her at the end.

Afterwards they all made their way sombrely to the church hall.
The wake was held in the main room, but because of the numbers a marquee was erected and due to the clement weather the party had spilled out into the gardens and the carpark.
Jack found himself at the rear of the group as they approached the entrance to the hall, and after the others had all gone inside he paused and turned around and walked home.

When he got inside he slipped his jacket off and went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink.
After sitting alone quietly for about half an hour he was disturbed by a knock at the door so he ignored it and poured himself another drink.
There was another more persistent knock so he ignored it again and drained his glass.
Then there was another even more persistent knock.
So he put his glass down and got up and walked down the hall and reluctantly opened the door and Kayleigh was standing there.
“I was told to come and get you,” She said
“You’ve been missed”
“I don’t think I can” he replied
“Nonsense” she said, “you’re expected”
Jack turned around and walked back to the kitchen and sat down.
“You must” she insisted crouching down in front of him.
“I can’t” he retorted
“You have no choice” Kayleigh shouted
“I can’t go, how many times must I say it?” he snapped “it’s too hard”
“It’s not about you,” she shouted in his face “it’s about Katie”
And then she completely broke down and Jack had to comfort her and then cried himself.

After they had cried their tears they walked down to the church hall together.
When Jack got inside Carole Anderson made a beeline for him and asked
“Are you ok hon?”
“Yes of course” he lied “I just needed an hour to myself to get my head straight”
Carole seemed content with that.

The wake became quite lively and by the time Jack got round to see everyone and got back to Kayleigh it was getting late.
“Sorry darling” he said to her
“Don’t worry I’ll have you to myself the rest of the evening” she replied “but I think you need to get Anne home”
Jack looked around and Anne was completely wasted.
“I see what you mean,” he said
“Do you want a hand getting her home?” she asked
“Yes please” he said laughing, “I rather think I do”

When they got back home after the wake he carried Anne, who was completely slaughtered, upstairs to bed while Kayleigh waited downstairs.
When he got back to the kitchen she was standing in the middle of the room in her funereal underwear, a lacy black bra and matching panties and black stockings.
“So are you going to put me to bed now?” she asked and in answer he scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.

In the early hours of the morning after the funeral, just before the dawn broke, Kayleigh slipped out of his bed pausing only to kiss his forehead before returning home.

Later that same morning Jack awoke refreshed and at peace but when he walked into the kitchen the sight that he beheld was not a pretty one.
Anne was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a black coffee and judging by the fact she looked like there was to be another death in the family, a pretty savage hangover.
“Oh my goodness” he said
“Shhh” she gestured “have some respect for the dead”
The day after the funeral Anne was planning to go away for a few days to visit friends in various parts of the country before her return to Ethiopia.
But after her grief driven over indulgence the day before, she was in no fit state to go anywhere except back to her bed.
She was adamant that she should not let people down but he persuaded her to phone her friends and delay her departure until the next morning, she could even delay her flight home as she had an open ticket, that way she could still get to see everyone.
Eventually she saw the sense in what he was saying and after a handful of phone calls she went back to bed.

So it was on Thursday morning with Anne restored to her pre binge best, full of vim and vigour and ready to take on the world, that he set her off on her journey by driving her to Purplemere for the first leg of her sojourn.

Once he returned home he found the house eerily quiet and he didn’t much like it all but he was spared his own company for a little while at least by a visit from his next door neighbour and lover Kayleigh but he was still a little down.
“We should get away for a couple of days” Kayleigh suggested.
“A weekend break” he said
“I was thinking more of a dirty weekend” she said
“Kayleigh Robinson you brazen hussy” he said and laughed
As much as he liked the sound of her suggestion he didn’t think he was in the right frame of mind for it so he said
“No I don’t think so”
Kayleigh gave him a questioning look so he added
“I have to put the house back together”
“Can’t you get those Rooney boys to do it? They moved everything in the first place after all” she said
“Well we’ll see,” he said,
“That means no then,” she said crossly
“That’s not what it means at all” he said “They’re probably busy”
“Hmmm” she said as she was leaving with obvious disbelieve but she kissed him anyway and added.
“Please you’ll enjoy it”
“We’ll see,” he reiterated
“I would have really enjoyed it” she said grumpily

Her parting shot made him feel guilty, not that he thought that was her intention, but it wasn’t really a lie he hadn’t yet put the room back together since the bed and stuff had been taken away, but he really didn’t think he would make for good company.
He could have spent the rest of Thursday straightening the house but he didn’t, because in the end he decided he was being selfish because Kayleigh clearly needed to get away so he spent the next hour making some phone calls and when he was done he went next door to Kayleigh’s and knocked on the door.
When it opened Kayleigh just stood there without speaking
“I was looking for gorgeous woman to go on a dirty weekend with and I was wondering if you knew someone who might be interested” he said and she grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him inside.

Chapter 44 – Making the Move

They were up early on Friday Morning and on the road by 6 o’clock as they were headed to Tipton in the north of the county because Jack had booked them into the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa.
He chose that area of Downshire because Kayleigh’s grandparents lived in Roespring and she was anxious to see them as her grandfather was still recovering from a fall.

Jack had phoned David Rooney the night before to see if he and his brother could put the house back together again.
“Leave it to me” David said

The Rooney family were farmers from Spade Oak Farm from Lower Hawthorne on the Clarence side of the village, the farm had been in the family since the end of the Second World War and would be for many years to come because 30 year old David and his 23 year old brother Jimmy were going to take on the running of the farm when their father Mike retired.
Their father had every confidence that they would do a great job with the farm however their mother worried about the future as there were no women in their lives.
Dave and Jimmy loved being farmers and they never saw a time in their futures when they would cease to be farmers.
Unfortunately it was not a lifestyle that appealed to everyone and young girls, even from a rural community were not always enamoured by farming or the prospect of being a farmer’s wife.
The other problem was even if they could find someone who didn’t mind farming, they didn’t necessarily fit their criteria.
The Rooney brother’s weren’t interested in the lacy bits of fluffiness who spent more on their hair, eyebrows and nails than they Dave and Jimmy did on their cars and the amount they spent on clothing was shameful.
So the reason they were single was because they hadn’t found anyone to fit the bill however they were very encouraged when they met two gardeners who were both attractive and clearly not afraid of hard work or getting their hands dirty.

David, like his younger brother Jimmy was muscular and well-toned, with red hair and a heavily freckled face, which did not go unnoticed when Emily Bills first laid eyes on him, and from that first moment she was smitten and desired to lay more than her eyes on him.
She was a pretty woman with weathered elfin features, and short brunette hair, and a wiry muscular physique, but she managed to look feminine, she was not however a girly girl and had always tended to be a tomboy.
She stood five foot eight inches tall, and was slender and lean and she was a townie girl from Purplemere, and was twenty nine years old and she was just what David was looking for in a woman.
Her partner in crime Davina and his younger brother Jimmy were similarly attracted.

It was on the day at the beginning of February when the Rooney boys were clearing the lounge in readiness of the arrival of the hospital equipment that the girls got to speak with them and dates followed.
Davina and Jimmy had quickly become inseparable but David was being a little more cautious.
On their first date he took her to the Worsted Viper Hotel and throughout the meal the conversation flowed effortlessly from course to course and on to the coffee and liqueurs but all too soon the evening was over and he drove her home.
Emily had enjoyed the evening very much and her like for him surpassed that and she believed that by the way he was looking at her during the evening that her feelings were reciprocated.
But when they got to her house, much to her disappointment he just kissed her cheek and thanked her for a lovely evening.
Further dates followed and they always went the same way they would have an immensely enjoyable evening ending with a kiss on the doorstep of Emily’s house.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to take it further, he did, he loved her pretty weathered elfin features, and short brunette hair, her slender, lean and wiry physique, he didn’t see the muscular he only noticed the feminine, and he loved every inch of her five foot eight.
She knew that he fancied her as much as she did him so she didn’t understand why he hadn’t slept with her yet.
Admittedly the quality and quantity of kissing had increased exponentially with each successive date but that was as far as it went.
But she had big hopes on her 30th birthday, which was on Saturday, when he was taking her to Abbottsford, he had tickets for the matinee performance of Les Mis at the Empire and reservations for The Wooden Slipper restaurant and he had two rooms at the Regents Hotel, Emily was hoping to only use one.

But on Friday morning as she and Davina drove through the village she spotted the Rooney’s Landrover parked on Jack’s drive.
“What are they doing there?” Emily asked
“Jack phoned and asked if they could get the house straight” Davina replied “But Jimmy went to the auctions with his dad so Dave’s on his own”
“Stop the van!” she shouted
“What? Why?” she asked
“Just stop!” she repeated and Davina brought the van to a halt.
“What’s wrong?” she asked
“Can you manage on your own at Mrs Browns?” Emily asked
“Of course” she replied
“Do you mind if I go and give David a hand?” she asked coyly
“No, go get him Em”

Dave Rooney got to the house early which was just as well as his brother was at the auctions so it would take him a while to get it done on his own, and even with the early start he wasn’t sure he would finish at all, because although he was strong and fit there were some pieces he would struggle with on his own.
But at 9 o’clock there was a knock at the front door, so he stopped what he was doing and opened it to find Emily Bills standing on the doorstep in her familiar dungaree’s a T-shirt, her normal gardening apparel in fact.
“What are you doing here?” he asked “aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“I’ve come to help,” she said
“Help with what?” he asked puzzled
“Putting the stuff back” she said “I heard you were shorthanded”
“You don’t have to do that, Jimmy will be here when the auctions are finished,” he said
“Well I’m here now, and the sooner we get started the sooner we’ll be finished” Emily said cheerily “And then you can buy me lunch”
“Deal” David said and they set to work, Emily set about dusting and hovering the lounge while he started carrying things in from the garage and by twelve o’clock they were almost finished, there was just one small sofa to bring in and then they were done.
So the two of them set about the task and having maneuverer it through the hall and into the lounge all that was required was to push it into place and with both of them pushing it moved easily into its position.
So with the job done and David suitably positioned southwest of her he put his hands on her shoulders and said
“Thanks Em, I couldn’t have done this without you”
Emily leant back against him and he kissed the top of her head,
“I think you’ve earned lunch”
“I think I’ve earned something” she said as she turned around and caught him off balance and pushed him onto the sofa and then she jumped on top of him and kissed him.
“Have we got time for this?” he asked when she let him up for air
“Indeed we do” she said and kissed him again.
“But aren’t we going to be late for lunch?” he enquired
“Maybe but the sooner we get started the sooner we’ll be finished” Emily said

The upshot of their encounter was firstly that they almost missed the last serving for lunch at the Hen and Chicks and secondly there was no further reason for them to have two rooms booked at the Regents Hotel that weekend.
When Davina picked her up from the pub carpark at four o’clock she was grinning from ear to ear.

Jack and Kayleigh returned to Turnoak late on Monday afternoon after their dirty weekend away in Tipton and Kayleigh went straight up to Plaxton to see Carl and left him all alone.
It was so strange to have the house so empty and quiet, in fact he thought it was eerily quiet.
He made himself some food and was feeling quite down as he sat in the kitchen alone eating some rather uninspiring pasta and sauce.
During the previous few months the house had been such a hive of activity and now there was only him.
He didn’t see as much of Kayleigh that week as he would have liked which didn’t help his mental state and he still hadn’t managed to shake off his depression as he drove into Purplemere on Saturday night to meet up with Jacey Linton, and Gary Spiers who had persuaded him to go over to the club for a drink, in the hope it might cheer him up a bit.
Jacey was Gary’s ex brother in law, the former was the Manager at the Waterside club and the latter was a “noise boy” and had his own sound engineering company “Sound in Spiers”.
Jack had known Jacey for many years and Gary for about ten and along with his Entertainments Manager James Lynch were Jacks best friends.
They went to the club because James had to work so as he couldn’t join them in Purplemere they decided to drive over to the club and join him and Jack had to admit that he welcomed the distraction.

It was a packed house at the club as it was a 70’s night with a full bill of “has been” acts who really should have been at home watching TV or even in a home and the audience were even more past it than the performers were.
Conversation was difficult in the club due to a combination of the music and everyone singing along loudly and as a result they all had a little more to drink than they would have otherwise had.
It wasn’t until the last encore was over and people started to leave that they had a proper conversation that is to say “a proper conversation” when three members of the party are pissed and the other one isn’t.
And James was the sober one who had to listen to Jacey gushing about the love of his life, Sarah Peters, and how wonderful she was.
“Things are going well then?” he asked
“Oh yes” he said, “I think so”
He then proceeded to give them all the minutiae of their burgeoning relationship.
Jack wasn’t anywhere near as drunk as Jacey but he had more than enough to prevent him from driving home so he phoned a cab and as Gary lived on the Turnoak side of Purplemere he dropped him off on route.
And Despite the very real risk that Gary might bore him to death James offered to drive him home, but his worst fears weren’t realized as his passenger rewarded him by promptly falling asleep.

When James got to his house James stopped the car on his driveway and shook him awake.
Jacey got out of the car rather ungainly and took a few unsteady steps to his front door where he fumbled briefly in his pocket for his door key, which he waved at James with a flourish before inserting it into the lock at the third attempt.
When he had the door open he turned and waved before stumbling inside and closing the door.

Chapter 45 – Good News Week

On Sunday morning in Turnoak Jack woke annoyingly early and couldn’t get back to sleep so he got up and was greeted by a quiet empty house again.
He made coffee and sat in the kitchen feeling rather lonely and pondered how he was going to fill his day.
Kayleigh was out of circulation all day and he wasn’t seeing her until the next day.
As he sat and stared into his coffee cup he heard a familiar voice.
“For goodness sake pull yourself together,” it said, “it’s a good news week”
The voice belonged to Katie Watson, though she wasn’t really there.
“Ok Katie” he replied and instead of feeling sorry for himself he got up and got himself ready for church.

As he walked to St Lucy’s he tried to think what Katie meant by saying “it’s a good news week”, but the only thing he could think of was a song from the 1960’s by a one hit wonder group of RAF men, Hedgehoppers Anonymous.
And the reason he was so familiar with it was because it was a favourite of his dads and it was on one of the tapes he always played in the car.
And the song just went round and around inside his head even during the service.

It's good news week
Someone's dropped a bomb somewhere
Contaminating atmosphere
And blackening the sky

It's good news week
Someone's found a way to give
The rotting dead a will to live
Go on and never die

Have you heard the news
What did it say?
Who's won that race?
What's the weather like today?

It's good news week
Families shake the need for gold
By stimulating birth control
We're wanting less to eat

It's good news week
Doctors finding many ways
Of wrapping brains on metal trays
To keep us from the heat

Now although he wasn’t sure exactly what Katie’s disembodied voice meant, he was pretty sure it wasn’t that.
But with his head stuck in a constant loop of “Hedgehoppers” he decided there was no point in beating himself up over it.
And the moment he stopped trying to divine the meaning the sound track stopped and he was able to enjoy the rest of the service in peace.

After the service ended most of the congregation spilled out through the doors and the milled around chatting and spreading the word along with a little gossip.
Which he did in his turn, there were many familiar faces in the crowd and he spoke to most of them in the spring sunshine.
Just as the crowd had visibly thinned and he was about to amble away himself he felt a tug on his arm.
“Jack” the voice said
He turned around to face the source of the voice.
“Hi Martina” he said
“You can’t go yet,” she said in a hushed whisper.
“Why not?” he asked, “I’m hungry, and I missed breakfast”
“Because you can’t” she insisted “come into the church”
“What for?” he asked as she steered him unceremoniously through the door, smiling and the remaining parishioners as they went.
“What is going on?” he asked again as they reached the transept, where a very green looking Gary Spiers was slouched in the nearest pew.
“Have you kidnapped him as well?”
“Sit down and stop your fussing and wait until Paul gets here,” Martina said forcefully, so he sat down next to Gary.
“What’s this about?” he asked him
“Don’t know,” he answered “she just came to the house this morning and dragged me out of my sick bed and forced me to come here”
“You aren’t sick you’re just hung over” Martina snapped “So stopped whining”
“Harsh” He replied
“Very” Jack added
Just then they heard Paul’s distinctive footsteps coming down the aisle, which turned out to be quite appropriate in light of what they were about to hear.
Paul joined Martina and stood holding her hand
“Well” he said slowly and deliberately “we have an announcement to make”
Martina was fidgeting and shuffling her feet as he spoke and it was clear he wasn’t speaking fast enough for her
“We have finalized, at least decided, or perhaps chosen…” he faltered
“We’ve set a date for the wedding” Martina blurted out
“Great” Gary said unenthusiastically
“That is good news” Jack said more sympathetically “and when is it?”
“August the 10th” they said in unison
“Great” Gary said again then Paul cleared his throat and said
“And I want you to be my best man Gary”
“What?” he queried “Me?”
Paul nodded and Gary jumped to his feet and shook Pauls hand and then kissed Martina.
“I’ve never been a best man before” he said proudly
“Well done” Jack said and slapped him on the back.
“And as for you” Martina said looking at Jack “I want you to give me away”
“Seriously?” he asked
“Yes” she replied
“Wow” he exclaimed
“Is that a yes?” she asked
“Of course it is you silly woman” he said and kissed her.

As Gary and Jack headed to the Hen and Chicks to celebrate, the latter heard Katie’s voice again, “good news week”.
Martina and Paul declined their offer to wine and dine them as they had other people to give the news to, now that they had spoken to them.
So they had a roast dinner and then got bladdered and the next thing they knew it was Monday.

About 10.30am Jack was rudely awakened by a persistent banging on the front door, which was in turn banging inside his head he staggered clumsily downstairs and opened the door.
“Good morning” a man said “Taxi for Spiers”
“What?” he replied
“I’ll be right out” a voice behind him said and Jack turned around to see Gary standing there putting his coat on.
“God you look as bad as I feel” he said as he followed the driver down the path.

After Gary had gone he had a coffee and tried to get hold of Kayleigh to give her the news about being asked to give Martina away, but he couldn’t get hold of her so he had another couple of coffees in an effort to wake himself up but eventually he gave up and returned to his bed and stayed there until Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning he was up at 5am having slept the clock around and found himself in a doing mood.
After putting on some washing he changed the bedding and hoovered and dusted and got the place spic and span.
It was at about 10 o’clock when he walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see Emily in the back garden, she didn’t normally come until Friday, and so he opened the back door.
“Hi Emily” he called
“Hello Jack” she called back and walked across the patio towards her and asked
“How come you’re here on a Tuesday?”
“I had to rearrange things,” she said as she put down her rake and walked towards him “you know what clients can be like”
And then she grinned at him quite soppily
“I never thanked you properly for what you did to get ready for Katie” he said and hugged her just as Davina came around the corner
“Oi” she called “you sex maniac, put my partner down”
“Partner?” he asked releasing Emily
“Yes” Emily said, “Your gardening needs will now be met by Bills and Carley”
“That’s fantastic news” he said “now it’s your turn for a hug”
When all the hugging was done with and congratulations were gratefully received the girls went back to work and Jack headed back into the house and heard the familiar voice again as it said, “It’s a good news week Jack”

Chapter 46 – Farewell and Welfare

The first thing he did when he got up on Wednesday morning was to try and get hold of Kayleigh again but he had no more luck that day than he had all week.
By the time he’d put the bed’s together he only had time for a quick sandwich before driving to Nettlefield to pick up Anne who had been staying with a succession of friends before she had to return to Ethiopia.
Courtesy of the Satnav he found the address with ease and after a quick cuppa they were soon on their way.
As he drove home he was thankful that the house would have a visitor again even if it was just for a couple of days.
Anne and Jack ate together on Wednesday evening and then she enthusiastically reviewed her sojourn and spared no detail in the telling.

On Thursday he took Anne to the Hen and Chickens where Gemma and Elise had arranged a farewell lunch for her before she flew back to Addis Adaba on the next day and when they walked into the pub the other guests were already there.
They were all people whom she had come to know as a result of her sister Katie’s illness and subsequent passing, the Vicar Paul Massey and his fiancé Martina, Matron Gemma Frost who organized all the nursing care, Nurse Hannah Peters, her sister Sarah who was Katie’s Verger, local girl Elise Riley and Doctor Carole Anderson who was not only the clinical lead on Katie’s care but was also her friend.
There was however one notable absentee, Kayleigh Robinson, so once everyone was settled at the table and the wine was flowing he asked Gemma where Kayleigh was.
“Something came up” she replied which to Jack felt very much like a brush off.
He didn’t say anything though he just bided his time and kept her wine glass topped up and by the time the coffee arrived she was totally bladdered and she dropped her guard.
“So where did you say Kayleigh was?” he asked her casually
“She’s seeing a specialist” she replied
“Really?” he asked “Why?”
“Because of the lump” Gemma answered
“What lump?” he asked her directly
“Oh God I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone” she said and put her head in her hands.
“Everything ok over there?” Anne asked
“Too much wine” he replied and laughed
“I’ll take her outside for some fresh air”
Once outside he sat her at one of the tables and said sharply
“Now tell me everything”

After Gemma had spilled the beans completely he told her to call me as soon as she knew what was happening and she agreed, but just as they were returning to the meal her mobile rang and she took it out of her bag and looked at the screen.
“It’s Kayleigh,” she said
He nodded to her to answer it, which she did.
When she had finished she put her phone away and too his unasked question she said
“She’s at the breast clinic”
“And?” he asked
“She’s having a scan” she said “She’s seeing the specialist again tomorrow lunchtime for the results”
“Ok” he said and they went back to the table.

The next morning Jack was up very early so he could drive Anne to Heathrow where he parked in the short stay and took Anne into the terminal and after she’d checked in and dropped her bags he walked her as far as the security gate.
“Thank you for everything” she said and kissed him warmly
“Katie thought the world of you”
“I’m afraid Katie thought me a better man than I actually am” he responded
“She was a very good judge of character,” Anne said
“Goodbye” and she kissed him again before going through the gate.

After paying for the parking he returned to the car and was very soon on the way back to the village and it was eleven o’clock when he parked in the Plaxton Park car park.
Gemma had already phoned him to say Kayleigh was with Carl.
He knew he was early but he didn’t know exactly when Kayleigh was leaving so he was happy to wait as long as necessary.
Jack had a good view of her car from where he was parked and as he waited he prayed for the right outcome.
“Don’t worry Jack” he heard Katie say, “It’s a good news week”

It was twelve thirty when he saw Kayleigh emerge from the main entrance and he didn’t mind the fact he had been waiting for an hour and a half he was just pleased he hadn’t missed her.

Jack got out of the car and intercepted her.
“Hi Kayleigh” he said
“Hello Jack” she answered without looking at him “I can’t stop”
“I know” he said, “You have somewhere important to be”
“Yes, Yes” she replied
“Which is why I’m coming with you” he stated
“But...” she started “How did yo…?”
“Come on we’ll go in my car” he insisted before she had chance to think about it and she got in the car without protest.
She sat quietly for a moment and he took her hand and said
“You don’t have to do this on your own”
And Kayleigh began to cry.

When they got underway Kayleigh was still dabbing at her eyes with a hankie.
“I asked Gemma not to tell anyone” she said, “I can’t believe she broke my confidence”
“She didn’t” he said and Kayleigh looked puzzled
“I was suspicious of your absence at the lunch yesterday” he told her “So I got her pissed”

They drove into the driveway of a big private house, in Lower Hawthorne which was the home and office of an eminent specialist in all things mammary.
“I always considered myself a bit of a breast specialist myself you know,” he said trying to lighten to mood
“You’re just a tit man, there’s a difference” Kayleigh responded accompanied by a weak smile.

He parked the car and they sat quietly in the car and it was Kayleigh who broke the silence.
“I’m scared Jack” she blurted out “I’m scared I’ve got cancer, I’m scared I’m going to die”
“Aren’t you getting a bit ahead of yourself?” he queried
“I’m not brave like Katie, she was so calm, so serene” Kayleigh said “But I’m terrified, and what will happen to Carl if I die”
Carl was her disabled husband who needed perpetual care.
“We will cross each and every bridge as and when we reach them” he said holding her hand “I will be with you every step of the way”
Then he hugged her and she completely broke down

After several minutes she calmed herself down and said
“Thank you Jack, I’m ready now”
They got out of the car and walked into the doctors and seated themselves in the lavish reception
“Why did you do it privately?” he asked
“I didn’t want to go on a list” she replied, “So Carole did a referral for me”
“So why this one in particular?” he asked
“Gerald is a friend of Carole’s, she trained with him when she was a junior” she replied
“I see” he said although he wasn’t really interested in the whys and wherefores he just wanted to keep her mind busy while they were waiting.
After she had explained he didn’t need to think of another question, as there was a buzz from behind the receptionist’s desk.
“Mr Upjohn will see you now” she announced
He gave Kayleigh’s hand a squeeze and she said
“Come in with me?”
So they stood up and walked into the consultant’s office.

Twenty minutes later they were sat in the car and Kayleigh was sobbing uncontrollably in his arms, but they were tears of relief.
The lump turned out to be a cyst, which could be easily removed with a rather large needle.
An appointment was made for Monday morning at the same private hospital where she went for the scan.
“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked
“Yes please” she replied

While they sat in the car she phoned Gemma and gave her the good news and the relief in Kayleigh’s voice as she spoke was palpable.
“Oh and there’s no need to phone Jack, he already knows”
Kayleigh smiled as she listened to Gemma squirming in response.
“He got me drunk,” said the tinny voice
“I know he did” Kayleigh said sympathetically
Jack couldn’t hear her response but Kayleigh said
“Yes he is a rotten swine”

As we were driving back to Turnoak in the bright evening sunshine Kayleigh suddenly asked
“Do you have any visitors at the moment?”
“No just me on my lonesome” he replied
“What about Anne?” she asked
“She’s gone back to Ethiopia today” he answered and then there was a long silence.
“Do you want some company?” Kayleigh asked coyly
“Always” Jack said
Then after a few moments she continue
“I know I’m a terrible woman, ignoring you, keeping you in the dark, and then wanting to be with but once in a while it’s nice to feel like I’m part of a proper couple, and I feel that with you and…”
“And today you need that more than ever” he continued for her
“Yes”

It was dark when they got back to the village and once he got her inside she stayed with him until Monday when he drove her to a private hospital in Finchbottom where he stayed with her throughout the procedure and then drove her home afterwards and for 24 hours they had perfect peace and each other.
But the universe hadn’t finished messing with their lives just yet because on Tuesday morning Kayleigh was called to the hospital as Carl’s health had deteriorated dramatically and Jack barely saw her for a week and but then he finally lost the fight and Carl Robinson died.

Chapter 47 – We could all do With a Holiday

In the days that followed she went through every conceivable emotion, anger, guilt, despair, hopelessness and relief.
She also went through a considerable amount of wine and every step of the way Jack was there with her, as a sounding board, a punch bag, a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold.
He also held her hair while she was sick, made sure she was fed and watered and was on hand for each and every twist and turn.
Eventually the strength of his love for her was enough to pull her through the darkness and back into the light.
But even so there was still the funeral to be arranged which Jack delegated to Sarah Peters who was the master organizer of the parish.

It was exactly one month to the day after the funeral of the much revered Katie Watson that Carl Robinson was laid to rest.
It was a much smaller affair as very few people in the village knew him, but staff from Plaxton Park were in attendance as were Kayleigh’s inner circle of friends.
The wake, such as it was, was held at White Rose Cottage, and it was during that sombre gathering that Gemma Frost said something in passing that planted a germ of an idea in his brain.
“What a year it’s been, we could all do with a holiday”

In the days that followed the funeral Jack devoted every moment of his time to supporting Kayleigh through the aftermath while plotting and planning with Sarah Peters, who in turn plotted and planned with their friend’s.
Jack had given her his credit card again and told her what he had in mind, as it was his idea he was paying for everything, it was the least he could do, and it was a way of using some of the money his Uncle had left him.
He had only received a letter from Curtis, Mitchel and Lovegood, the Morehouse family solicitors, with an update of his net worth, and he couldn’t believe his eyes so he picked up the phone and selected his solicitor’s number.
“Christine Prunot” the voice said
“Christine” he said “I’m in shock”
“You’ve seen the letter then” she said
“I have” he replied “are those figures correct?”
“Absolutely spot on” she answered
“Then the decimal point isn’t in the wrong place?” He asked
“No its not” she said and laughed
The numbers were incredible, easy street incredible, so he had to do something with it and thinking what course of action, to take with what he thought he was worth, had occupied him for months.
But he used the new balance to occupy Kayleigh’s mind as well.

So with his unflinching devotion he nursed Kayleigh through the worst of her grief until she was more like her old self but having had the idea for the holiday though Jack found himself afraid to suggest it to Kayleigh in case she thought it too frivolous.
But when he finally plucked up the courage she said
“I thought you were never going to ask me”
“You mean you knew about it?” he asked
“I’m all knowing and all seeing” she retorted

It was two weeks after the funeral before Kayleigh left the house for the first time and she was quite anxious about it, but everyone she met between the house and the pub exuded warmth towards her.

When they walked into the pub they found organizer extraordinaire Sarah Peters and her sister Hannah sitting at a table in the corner.
“Hello you two” Jack said leaning in to kiss them in turn
“Hello Jack” they chorused but then they turned their attention on Kayleigh.
While the girls embraced Jack bought the drinks and sat down next to Kayleigh just as Gemma walked in
“We haven’t seen you in here for ages” she said
“We came in to chat with Sarah” Jack said “about the details for the holiday”
“It’s all arranged” Sarah said
This did not surprise Jack, as Sarah was a meticulous planner.
However on this occasion she had a problem, namely that her plans had been interfered with.
On the third Sunday in June there was a coach leaving Turnoak and heading for France, where they were going to visit Euro Disney, among other places before returning to the UK on the following Friday in time for Kayleigh and Jack to go away together.
Now when Sarah planned the trip she planned it to the nth degree.
Where they would go, where they would eat, duration of each visit etc.
However Hannah and Elise had thrown a spanner in the works because they wanted to spend a day in Paris doing some girlie shopping and this did not fit into Sarah’s itinerary in any way shape or form.
Just at the moment Sarah said
“It’s all arranged”
Martina Wingrove appeared.
“Hi Kayleigh” she said “I wasn’t expecting to see you here”
Martina had been working at St Lucy’s, chasing a fault in the sound system all day, and had just called in for a quick sandwich.
The two women embraced and then Jack went to get her a drink and when he returned to the table Kayleigh, Elise and Martina had all ganged up on Sarah to get her to give in.
“Come on play fare you lot” she said
“But I’d really like to go shopping” Kayleigh said in a sulky teenager voice.
“Can we delay our special trip by a day?” she asked Jack
“No” he replied, “it’s all booked”
“So that’s that then,” Kayleigh said sulkily
“Well not necessarily” he mused, “there is a compromise solution”
“What’s that?” Gemma asked
“Well we can still do Sarah’s meticulously planned trip” he suggested “but instead of coming home on Friday we go into Paris”
“But we have to get you and Kayleigh back on Friday” Sarah said “so you can leave for your holiday”
“Well we can stay in Paris for two night, the girls can spend Saturday shopping while us blokes can go and look at paintings of naked women in the Louvre” he paused “then on Sunday you can all come back to Turnoak and Kayleigh and I can leave for our holiday from Paris”
“We can leave from Paris?” Kayleigh “Where are we going then?”
“It’s a secret” he replied
There was silence for a short while as they all pondered his suggestion, looking for flaws in the plan.
Kayleigh’s expression changed as she had clearly thought of something and opened her mouth to speak but Jack interrupted her.
“Yes you will need to pack for both trips, but don’t forget you can always treat yourself to some new clothes in Paris”
“It’s a sound plan as far as I can see” Sarah said which, was high praise indeed.
“I think it will be great,” Gemma agreed
“Me too” Kayleigh said and then kissed Jack, it was their first public kiss and then she whispered
“I’ll buy new underwear too”
“That’s a plan then?” he asked and everyone concurred
“Ok I’ll make the extra bookings” Sarah said

On Saturday morning Jack made a full English breakfast for him and Kayleigh after which he got a phone call from Sarah about the changes to the holiday arrangements.
She booked a hotel in Marly-le-Roi in the Western suburbs of Paris and after Jack and Kayleigh had a look at it on line, Sarah made the changes to her holiday pack and emailed it to everyone.

When Kayleigh had gone next door he phoned Sarah again as he needed her to make a change to the time and location of departure for his and Kayleigh’s holiday, which was a secret, and as the itinerary was quite complicated, Sarah acted like his travel agent as she was an organizational genius.

Over the following few weeks Jack and Kayleigh were inseparable and they did everything together, whether it be shopping for the holiday, lunching at the pub or going to St Lucy’s for some spiritual refreshment.
But the time they enjoyed the most was when it was just the two of them behind closed doors at White Rose Cottage where they spoke in depth about the future, their future.
They also discussed the best use for the obscene amount of money he had inherited from his Uncle.
Apart from the obvious candidates like St Lucy’s Church, the Church Hall and Plaxton Park Hospital and a comprehensive list of worthy charities they wanted to do more.
So he spoke to Christine Prunot again and asked her to recommend someone to help him set up a trust fund or something like it and she said that she could do that and said that she would come to the house the following day.

When Jack first discovered just what great sum of money he had inherited he felt more than a little guilty, as he hadn’t earned a penny of it, so he decided that he wanted someone more deserving than him to benefit from it.

After meeting with Christine Prunot he explained what he had in mind, namely two scholarship funds for pupils from St Lucy’s, one was the Carl Robinson Music Scholarship and the other was the Katie Watson Theology Scholarship.

Chapter 48 – Lovers on Tour

So after settling the disposition of the money it was with a great sense of accomplishment that they set off to meet their fellow travellers outside the Hen and Chicks.
When they got in sight of the pub the coach pulled up, but not just any old coach, Jack had got James to book a tour bus like the Rock stars tour in.
They could have fitted into a 17 seater mini bus but he decided to splash out and as he approached he said
“Do you think it’s too ostentatious?”
Kayleigh looked at the coach and then at Jack and said “Nah”
And they both laughed.
By the time they reached it, James Lynch and Elise Riley, Jacey Linton and Verger Sarah Peters, Matron Gemma Frost and church warden Tony Vassell, Reverend Paul Massey and fiancé Martina Wingrove, Nurse Hannah Peters and Gary Spiers, organists Ian Riley and Anne Wingrove, and last but not least Doctor Carole Anderson and Craig Frost were already aboard and waiting for them.
Apologies’ were quickly made and the coach pulled away.

They toured northern France on the way to Disneyland and every stop they made was at a luxury hotel and then they headed into Paris.
Marly-le-Roi was situated on the Seine River near Versailles and when they reached the hotel they checked in and went up to their rooms and then after freshening up they all met down on the terrace overlooking the river.

Kayleigh wanted to get changed so Jack went downstairs on his own and was the first to arrive and as he sat on the terrace waiting he reflected on how much he was looking forward to seeing Kayleigh’s face when he revealed their holiday destination.
Although they had been away together in the past this was to be their first proper holiday together as a proper couple.
Jack thought he was so blessed to have her in his life he wanted the holiday to be perfect.

The last of the party arrived about half an hour later and they had a quick drink and then went for a stroll beside the Seine before stopping for lunch at a Bistro and then after lunch the hardier among the party strolled some more while the remainder returned to the hotel for a siesta.

That night they chose to eat in the hotel and by about 9 o’clock they began to run out of steam so most of them chose to turn in early because the next day was going to be a busy one.

The next morning they all got on a sightseeing boat at La-Port-Marly that carried them up the Seine and into the city and then the girls all went off shopping while the guys did the cultural stuff.
After visiting the Louvre they all met up again and after lunch and did the touristy stuff together, the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre and then they caught the boat back to Marly and that evening, as it was to be their last night together they ate at a very superior establishment, a 3 Michelin starred foodie’s heaven, L'oiseau chanteur, the Songbird, which was absolutely divine.
The walls were adorned with pictures of every conceivable songbird and every time Kayleigh found herself looking at one she would hear Katie’s voice “it’s a songbird just like you”

On Sunday morning they all went to the local Church, Eglise Saint Etienne, and they all rather enjoyed the experience despite the fact they didn’t understand a word being said.
They did happen to meet up with some fellow Brits who were equally confused so they joined them for a coffee.

After lunch everyone went off to pack while Jack and Kayleigh went for a walk in the grounds and when they returned the porters were loading the bags onto the coach so they said their goodbyes before their friends boarded and then stood and waved them off.
After the coach disappeared from view Kayleigh and Jack went and packed themselves.

Having spent the afternoon packing Kayleigh suggested they eat at the local bistro but Jack said no but she could have a sandwich to keep her going until suppertime.
“Where are we eating supper?” she asked
“It’s a surprise” he replied
“I don’t like surprises” she said sulkily
All weekend Kayleigh had pestered him to tell her where they were going and he refused to tell her or give her any clues and it was driving her mad.
“Will I like it?” she asked
“Yes” he said
“Oh please tell me,” she begged
“Right let’s get going” he said and got up and phoned reception for a porter.
Getting packed distracted her for a while but she started again the minute the porter arrived, and her pestering continued all the way down in the lift, through the lobby and out to the waiting taxi.
“Gare de l'Est s'il vous plait” Jack said as they got in the taxi
“Oui monsieur” the driver replied
“What was that?” she said “where did you say?”

They disembarked outside the grand façade and the driver unloaded the bags.
“Merci” he said as he settled the fare.
“Where are we?” Kayleigh asked staring up at the magnificent frontage as Jack signalled to a porter
“L’Orient-Express s'il vous plait” he said
“Oui monsieur” the porter replied and loaded the bags onto his trolley.
“What?” Kayleigh said, “What did you say?”
“Come on this way, follow the porter” he instructed and took hold of her arm.
When they got to the gate he handed the guard their tickets and passports and when he turned around Kayleigh was standing open mouthed, staring at the sign.
“We’re going on The Orient-Express?” she asked in a faltering voice.
“Yes” he replied and she started crying
“I’m sorry,” she said wiping her eyes
“It’s such a wonderful surprise”
“I thought you didn’t like surprises” he said
“I lied” she replied and hugged him and whispered “I love you so much”
“Me too” he replied

Chapter 49 – Love Train

As they followed the porter along the platform they got their first sight of “the train against which all other luxury trains are measured” It was a magnificent sight and was like stepping back in time to the heyday of Art Deco and a more gracious and elegant age of travel.
The porter loaded their bags onto the train and the steward helped them to their vintage double cabin.
While he was settling with the porter and the steward Kayleigh excitedly explored the cabin.
It was set up, as a lounge area with a banquette sofa and a small table and in one corner she found hidden behind a door was a luxurious wash station, a washbasin with hot and cold water, plump fluffy towels and a selection of toiletries.
The only thing they didn’t have was their own toilet as that was situated at the end of the carriage.
They started to get themselves settled in when Kayleigh said urgently
“Have you got your tablet handy?”
“Yes” he replied, “it’s in my bag”
“Great” she said “I want to Skype the girls”
She rummaged in his bag and hurried outside and down to the platform.
“We depart in 5 minutes Madame” the steward called after her and Jack followed her out along the corridor
“5 minutes only monsieur” the steward said to him
“No problem” he said “she’s just a bit excited”
“Look where we are Gemma” she shouted as she aimed the tablet at the train and panned along the full length of the beautifully liveried rolling stock.
The steward came to the door and tapped his watch so he guided her back towards the train.
“We’re going on the train now” she shouted to her friends as Gemma had been joined by Sarah, Hannah, Elise, Martina and Carole.

Kayleigh gave her friends the full tour of the cabin up until the train departed and then she said
“I’m so excited I need to pee”
She would have taken the tablet in with her if Jack hadn’t taken it from her
“Your friends don’t need to watch you pee,” he said and turned the screen towards himself and said
“Hi Gemma”
“Hello Jack, I’ve never seen her so excited” she said
“I know” he said, “I don’t know how I’m going to calm her down”
“She was so excited she didn’t say where you were going,” she said
“Well I haven’t told her yet,” Jack told her and quickly checked Kayleigh was out of earshot
“We’re going to Venice first, staying for three nights and then we’ll take the train back via Prague where we’ll stay for two nights”
“How wonderful “Gemma said, “And Kayleigh doesn’t know?”
“Not a thing” He replied then he heard a sound from the corridor and stuck his head out the door just in time to see Kayleigh closing the toilet door.
“That’s Kayleigh coming back”
“Ok well we’re just about to board the ferry,” she said just as Kayleigh arrived back
“Oh are you going?” Kayleigh asked
“Yes we’re about to board” Gemma said
“Bye bye darling have a lovely time and take lots of pictures, love you both”
“Bye Gem” Kayleigh said, “I love you too”
“Does she know where we’re going?” she asked him suspiciously
“How would she know?” he asked and was spared any further interrogation by a knock on the door and when he opened it, it was the steward
“Dinner is being served in the dining car whenever you are ready” he said
“Thank you Pierre” he said and closed the door
“Right let’s get dressed” Jack said

Half an hour later they made their way to the “L'Oriental” Dining Car, a Birmingham built Pullman car beautifully decorated in the Art Deco style, where they were wined and dined on a sumptuous four-course dinner.
When they sat down in the elegant carriage Kayleigh said
“I don’t want much, I’m far too excited to eat”
Well four courses and a lot of wine later they waddled their way back to their cabin, which in their absence had been transformed, into a cosy bedroom with the banquette sofa now having given way to two single bunks.
They were both too tired, too full of gourmet food and too drunk to christen the bunks in the manner in which they would have liked so she said
“Bags the top”
But he had to help her up into the top bunk and within ten minutes they were both asleep.

The next morning just after first light Kayleigh had to get up to the toilet, and when she returned to the cabin she quietly squeezed into Jacks bunk where she kissed him awake.

While they lay in the post coital afterglow cuddling on Jacks bunk they looked out at the magnificent scenery of the Swiss Alps, then a few minutes later there was a knock on the cabin door and when he opened it, it was their breakfast being delivered by the steward.

After breakfast they washed and dressed and made their way along to spend the morning in the Bar Car and met some of their fellow travellers and chatted over coffee and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Alps.
Shortly before midday the train arrived at the Hauptbahnhof in Innsbruck, Kayleigh and Jack decided to get off the train to stretch their legs and enjoy the mountain air and the lovely spring sunshine.

It was about half an hour later when the train pulled out of the station.
They had re-boarded the train in the Lalique car, which was where the on-board boutique was located, because he wanted to buy Kayleigh something that would be a lasting memento of the trip.
“You don’t have to buy me anything” she said, “I’m never going to forget this trip”
But he insisted that they should buy something that would be both a memento and the first thing for their home together.
They settled on a piece of hand blown French crystal in the form of an angel in remembrance of Katie Watson.
But much later he slipped back when she was sleeping and purchased a beautiful songbird.
But after they had purchased the crystal Angel, Kayleigh suggested they return to the bar car before lunch but Jack had a different idea and took her back to their cabin, and once inside he said
“Kayleigh I want to ask you something”
“I’d rather have lunch” Kayleigh retorted
“Lunch can wait, it’s important” he said
“No you can’t have the top bunk” she giggled
“I’m not interested in the top bunk” he said
“Good let’s eat”
“Kayleigh Robinson nee’ Parkes, sweet natured and beautiful love of my life, will you please sit down and be quiet while I’m trying to ask you to marry me” he said
“What?” Kayleigh exclaimed and sat down hard on the banquette
“I want you to marry me, so will you?” he asked but she said sat in silence for the longest time until she said
“You want to marry me?”
“Of course” he said “so will you marry me or not?”
“Yes, Yes, and Yes” she screamed and threw her arms around his neck.
Jack dug in his pocket and tucked in the corner he found the cheap little ring he bought from a flea market in Paris while Kayleigh was shopping with the girls.
It was only a cheap piece of yellow metal costume jewellery but he gave it to her and said
“This is just a symbol, we can buy the proper ring together in Venice”
“I’ll keep it forever” she said and kissed him
“Does that mean were engaged” he asked

They were still kissing when the Steward knocked to say lunch was now being served so they followed him to the dining car and enjoyed a delicious and leisurely three-course lunch to celebrate their engagement.
As he watched a glowing Kayleigh sipping her wine he was overcome with love for her, he was so lucky to have her in his life, and now she had agree to be his wife and he said
“I love you”
“I love you too,”

After lunch they decided to take coffee in their cabin, while they were in the restaurant, the bunks had been stowed away and the banquette sofa had been restored and that was where they sat as they gazed out the window at the spectacular scenery as the train travelled through the Italian Dolomites.
As he sat holding her hand he thought back to the previous June when he hadn’t even made the move to Turnoak, it had been a bitter sweet time although definitely heavy on the sweet.
But they had lost Katie Watson, who was one of the angels, and Kayleigh had had a health scare and then her husband died after a long illness.
But his life had changed inexorable and it had been touched by some wonderful people, Kayleigh being chief among them.
But he had also touched others’ lives in a positive way as his love affair with Kayleigh developed and he nursed Katie in the final months of her life.
Quite apart from Kayleigh and Jacks love story there were those on the tour bus who were all loved up and they were not alone in Jacks circle, his gardeners Emily and Davina had also found love with the Rooney brothers, the church organists Anne Peters and Ian Riley were playing from the same hymn sheet and owner of the local riding school, Lily Soames, had Nurse George Dallas well and truly in harness.
Nor were they the only engaged couple in their circle, Martina was to marry Paul Massey and it wouldn’t have surprised Jack if his and Kayleigh’s engagement was merely the tip of the iceberg.


The finished their drinks just as the train pulled into Verona’s Porta Nuova station.
Which was when Jack said
“I have a surprise for you”
“Another one?” she exclaimed “You have already spoilt me so much”
“It’s just a little present” he said and handed her a gift box tied up with ribbon
Kayleigh took it from him and put it on her lap and undid the ribbon, and after removing the lid she slowly opened the folds of tissue paper and then she gasped when she saw the beautiful Lalique Chrystal songbird.
“It’s beautiful” she said “Katie always called me her songbird”
“Yes she did” Jack agreed
“When she was near the end she made me promise I would sing in public again” Kayleigh said with tears forming in her eyes
“And did you?”
“Yes but I only said what she wanted to hear” Kayleigh admitted “but I keep hearing her voice, reminding me”
“You too?” Jack asked
“Yes” she said and hugged him.
“Be the songbird Kayleigh, be the song bird”
So they both explained at length the occasions in which Katie communicated to them, either audibly of visually while the train was in the station but as the train slowly departed they knew it was time to finish packing in readiness to disembark by finishing their packing.
When everything was done Jack held her in his arms as they crossed the Venetian Lagoon and she said
“I’m going to do it”
“Truly?”
“Yes I’m going to do it for Katie” she confirmed “I’m going to sing at the Waterside Club”
“That’s wonderful” Jack said and kissed her
“Will you let me sing at the club?” she asked almost as an after thought
“Of course I will”
“Good because that’s the only place I want to sing” she explained
“But you have to be there with me”
“I never want to be anywhere else than with you” Jack said and she kissed him as the train pulled into Santa Lucia station.

Those Memories Made on Teardrop Lake – (41) Clinician Heal Thyself

(Part 01)

It was to a very successful organization that palliative care Nurse Patricia Clerembeax joined on a bitter cold January morning along with another new nurse named Dani Carew.
It was four years to the day after Dr Claire Lutchford nee Andrews, took over the Shallowfield Surgery and in that short time she and her business partner Olivia Shenton had transformed it into the Dancingdean Heath Centre, which had continued to grow in stature which necessitated the expansion of staff numbers.

Equally while things had been going well for Claire and Olivia in the four years they had been running the Dancingdean Heath Center in Shallowfield it had been a very similar story for most of those four years for Patricia, but the last six months had taken a turn for the worst because her fiancé of five years dumped her and went off with a man, and she had had to deal with the fallout.
His parents blamed her and she was left feeling that she had actually turned him gay.
So she decided on pastures new, she had also thought about a change of direction professionally, but she liked palliative care, and furthermore she was good at it, however she needed to grow so she decided on Shallowfield because she would still have opportunities to do what she was really good at as well as fulfilling numerous other rolls.

It was hard leaving the Hedgerley Court Hospice and her cottage in Applesford but she knew it was the right thing to do.
It was just before Christmas when Patricia moved into Flat 2, of East Cliff Lodge, overlooking the picturesque Teardrop Lake.
The view of the water from their flats was spectacular with its distinctive teardrop shape, which gave the lake its name, surrounded by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean Forest.
It was a modest body of water as lakes go, just over two miles long and almost a mile at its widest point, it really was a thing of beauty and was both idyllic and peaceful.
There was little or no noise pollution and although the lake was used there were no speed boats or jet skis, only rowing boats, canoes, dinghies and skiffs.

Fortunately Patricia was not the only new starter at the health centre or the only newbie to the area.
Dani Carew, who was the new practice nurse, moved into flat number 4, of the same building, a couple of days after her.

Both Patricia’s and Dani’s moves had been purely out of choice because they were looking for a change and not like many in their profession had moves forced upon them due to cost cutting measures.

As they both moved in before Christmas and weren’t due to start work until the New Year and as they were neighbours the two new girls gravitated towards each other and became firm friends.
Chantelle Grimwood, who lived in number 1, also worked at the health centre, as a Doctor and she and her husband Richard volunteered to show the new girls around and help them get their bearings and settle in.

(Part 02)

They were both dreading that first Christmas in a new place without anyone to cuddle up to, and they thought that all that time on their own would drive them crazy.
But they needn’t have worried for a second as Chantelle soon introduced them around to all the mad people they would be working with and they had so many invitations throughout December that they didn’t have a minute to think about being lonely, even in the quieter moments because they were too exhausted.

After a very enjoyable first Christmas in her new home Patricia was really pleased that she wasn’t starting the new job on her own and she knew Dani felt the same way.
They both slotted right in at the Heath Centre and they soon found that the rest of the staff were just as friendly as the ones they had already met were.

Patricia loved her job from the first moment she walked through the doors and she loved living on the Lake even more.
In the last six months of living in Applesford she had taken to riding a bike again, as she found it helped burn off the anger she felt towards her ex fiancé and his family.
When she moved to Teardrop Lake she rode every day around the idyllic lake but no longer felt any anger.
On the weekends she would do the house work on Saturdays and on Sundays she would ride off farther afield and explore the Finchbottom Vale or any one of a number of places of interest around the lake, two Folly’s, a Watch tower, Olwen’s Chapel, a waterfall, brooks, streams, a 16th Century Bridge and lovers leap.

Patricia Clerembeax was a pretty woman, with quite elfin features, and short brunette hair, and a wiry muscular physique, but she managed to look feminine, she was not however a girly girl and had always tended to be a tomboy.
She stood five foot eight inches tall, and was slender and lean and she was originally a townie girl from Abbottsford, and Pat was twenty nine years old but looked much younger.
She had resigned herself to the fact that she was going to end her days as a singleton after the humiliation of discovering that her pig of an ex-fiancé was gay after he left her for the best man.
Apart from needing to be shown the inner workings of the practice, the processes and procedures, Patricia really needed a guided tour of the area.
District nursing being part of her remit after all, so she needed to familiarise herself with the district.
First of all she bought herself an ordinance survey map of the Finchbottom Vale, between the Dancingdean Forest and the Pepperstock Hills, which encompassed her territory.
The problem was that maps weren’t really Patricia’s forte.
She did have a satnav in the car which would get her from A to B but that wouldn’t help her map out the district in her head.
So she asked the other newbie Dani Carew to help, she was the obvious choice to her mind as she was also clueless about the area so between them they could get their baring’s enough to avoid any major faux pas.

They were both based at the Health Centre for the first two months and it took that long driving around in their spare time to crack it enough for them to be let loose on an unsuspecting Finchbottom Vale.

(Part 03)

The district nursing team had a number of regular home visit, terminally ill or housebound patients or those recuperating after surgery and they soon built up a good rapport with them.
As Patricia’s background was in palliative care she had the lion’s share of terminally ill patients on her list, but she didn’t mind as she found helping a person to end their time in a dignified manner was very rewarding and in her first six months at the Dancingdean Health Centre she became a valuable member on the team.

When she was first put on the visitors list, one of Patricia’s first patients was 75 year old Andrew Bates who had stage 4 liver cancer as well as numerous secondaries.
Andrew lived alone in the small country village of
Mornington-By-Mere which lay in the Finchbottom Vale that nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It was one of Patricia’s favourite destinations when she was out exploring on her bike on the weekends which always ended with a drink at the Old Mill Inn.
Mornington is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
By the time the summer had arrived Andrew had deteriorated so his youngest son David moved in to look after him.

David and his father lived in the part of the village known as Manorside where there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane and they lived at number 3, Brewery Cottages on the former.

Driving to Mornington to see Andrew was one of her favourite visits.
David was roughly the same age as Patricia and they got on really well and whenever she was there the two of them flirted outrageously but she never intended it to be anything other than flirting, but she always looked forward to seeing him.
“See you tomorrow sexy” she said as she left the house.

The following day Patricia was with Andrew longer than usual as he had had a very uncomfortable night, David was just leaving the lounge as she was coming down the stairs and he offered her a coffee, as he always did, and to his delight and surprise she accepted.
It was unusual for her to say yes as she always tried to avoid too many drinks during the day as by her own admission she had a bladder the size of a pea.
But she wasn’t her normal sparky self and David wrongly assumed it was the state of his father’s health that had brought her down.
Whereas the real reason she was low was that her pig of an Ex Fiancé, who had dumped her and ran off with the best man, married him at the weekend.
Despite her low mood Patricia did however enjoy her coffee with him and he had raised her spirits sufficiently to produce a prolonged exchange of significant flirting between them before she had to say goodbye.

(Part 04)

The next morning when Patricia reported for work at the Health Centre there was a message for her to say that Andrew Bates had had another bad night so she turned on her heels and got back in her car.

David Bates was 32 years old and was the youngest of 4 boys but he was the only one who was upset about his father’s illness and the only one who bothered to go and see him.
He was always a difficult man to love, he was always pushing and cajoling the boys to work harder, to make the most of themselves and to better themselves, so that they could have a better life than he had.
But he came across as cold and uncaring to his sons, but nonetheless his strategy worked as all four of his sons had bettered themselves, three of them to such an extent that they wouldn’t even lower themselves to be seen in the house they were raised in.
David himself was a graphic novelist and a very successful one.
He was the only one of the boys who didn’t take after his father in either appearance or temperament he was blessed that he took all his traits from his mother.
His father and his brothers were all over six feet tall, unyielding and uncompromising whereas he was six inches shorter and had the soul of a mediator.
The only thing he inherited from his father was jet black hair and steel blue eyes.

When she arrived at the house David was scrubbing at a saucepan in the kitchen sink and he stopped when she knocked at the front door.
He let go of the saucepan and dried his hands and when he opened it the slender lean figure of Patricia Clerembeax was standing on the step in the cool morning air in her polyester uniform.
“Come in” he urged her “you don’t have to knock”
“I don’t like to enter uninvited” she said
“You are always welcome and have an open invitation” he said and smiled
“You look tired” she said
“Yes, he had a bad night again” David said
“I’ll just go and check on him” she said and put her hand on his and squeezed it
As she climbed the stairs Patricia knew Andrew was deteriorating fast and that each visit had the potential to be her last and she was even sadder about that than usual.

While Patricia was upstairs checking on Andrew, David returned to the kitchen and resumed his washing up.
It didn’t take long as he only had the saucepan to finish and when that was done he put the kettle on, sat down at the kitchen table and picked up his sketch pad.
He always kept it close at hand, and in the quiet moments he would work on an idea.
But over the weeks he had been staying with his dad all his sketches were of Patricia.

(Part 05)

He didn’t hear her come downstairs, nor did he hear her walk into the kitchen and sidle up behind him.
In fact the first time he knew she was standing behind him was when she put her hand on his shoulder.
“Is that me?” she asked looking over his shoulder
David jumped and quickly closed the pad.
“It’s just an idea I’m working on for the next chapter” he said quickly
“Let me see then”
“No it’s a… work in progress” he said hurriedly and slipped the pad into a draw and changed the subject.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Patricia was very curious to see the contents of the pad but she had a more pressing matter regarding his father.
“I’ve phoned Dr Lutchford, because his breathing is laboured and I think the end is close”

The Doctor arrived about half an hour later and Patricia showed her upstairs.
Fifteen minutes later they returned and Claire Lutchford said
“He has a chest infection and he should be in hospital”
“But he was adamant he wanted to die in his own bed” David said
With both parties diametrically opposed Patricia said
“I can stay on till the end”
It was after all what she was well practiced in.
“Well I’m happy with that if you both are” Claire said
“I am” David said
“Ok that’s settled then” Claire announced

For the rest of the day Patricia split her time between attending to Andrew and keeping David Company and every time she went upstairs he would retrieve his sketch pad.
Andrew ordered an Indian takeaway from the Bengal in Shallowfield and they ate together in the kitchen which set them up for the long weary night ahead.

Andrew Bates died just after seven o’clock on Saturday Morning with the summer sun invading the room and bathing his deathbed in sunlight.
Patricia was patient and considerate and waited with David, who was quiet and showed no emotion as they finally left the room

David spent the morning in his room while Patricia made all the necessary phone calls.
Sgt Jones, the village policeman paid a visit to rule out foul play and stayed until Dr Lutchford arrived to sign the death certificate.
And an hour later William Hemmings and Sons arrived to collect the deceased, although it was Melanie Hemmings who offered the condolences.

David was looking out the kitchen window as the Hemmings vehicle drove away and Patricia walked up behind her and lightly stroked the back of his arm.
“Are you ok honey?” she asked
“No not really” he replied and the tears he had been holding back immediately welled up in his eyes as he turned towards her, so she took him in her arms and he dissolved completely into tears.
“Its ok honey” she whispered, “let it all go”
And as he sobbed uncontrollably onto her shoulder, Patricia kissed his cheek.
She held him close and stroked his back as he sobbed until he lifted his head and said
“I’m getting you uniform wet”
“I don’t care” she replied and he broke down again.

(Part 06)

At number 3 Brewery cottages in the Manorside part of Mornington, Patricia Clerembeax and David Bates stood in each other’s arms while he cried on her shoulder.
It dawned on her at that moment as he sobbed his heart out that now Andrew was gone she would have no reason to go to Brewery Cottages and she wouldn’t see him again, and that was what she was thinking as she consoled him with her empty words.
Shameful selfish thoughts of her never seeing him again as she held him in her arms instead of thinking of him and his loss.

It was a glorious sunny day in Mornington, though the reason she was there was a gloomy one, she and David were sat together on the patio, which was bathed in the afternoon sun and were both silently staring down the garden after the death of his father.
They were both excruciatingly tired because it had been a very long night sitting up with Andrew, however she had had a lot of time to think as Andrews life ebbed away.
And almost all of those thoughts had been about David and the reason that driving to Mornington to see Andrew was one of her favourite visits.
It certainly wasn’t to see Andrew, he was a curmudgeonly old cuss, no, it was to see David.
They got on really well and whenever she was there the two of them flirted outrageously but she never thought it was anything other than flirting, but she would have to confess that she always looked forward to seeing him and hoped that it might be.
But everything came into sharp focus now that she was faced with the prospect of never seeing him again.

When David broke down in tears in Patricia’s arms not all his tears were for his dad, although he felt great sadness at his passing, most of his tears and the desperate heartache was for the loss yet to come when the lovely district nurse would cease to visit him and brighten his lonely days.
But he was powerless to change the inevitable.

They sat in his garden for more than an hour in silence neither of them knowing what to say.
Desperate to ask the question but unable to summon the words in which to frame it.
Finally in desperation Patricia broke the silence
“Why won’t you let me see your sketches?” she asked
“As I said they are just a work in progress” he replied
“I could still look at them” she suggested
“Definitely not” he said curtly
“Oh why?”
“Because it’s an “artist” thing” he said unconvincingly
There was a moment of silence and then she took a deep breath and asked
“Am I the work in progress?”
David gasped at the question and paused before replying, he didn’t know if he should bluff it out or come clean because he couldn’t detect in her question what her disposition was.
Patricia thought she had made a terrible mistake and thought she should beat a hasty retreat to preserve her dignity but just as she was about to move he said
“Yes”
“I thought so” she replied calmly although inside she was doing somersaults
“I’m sorry” he said “I know it’s inappropriate”
“Don’t be sorry” Patricia said and took hold of his hand “I’m glad”

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (41) You can take it with you

(Part 01)

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.
The Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.
But over the many centuries the vast majority had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.
There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was Purplemere.
And in Purplemere 29 year old Nerissa Lopez worked behind the delicatessen counter at Stephenson’s Supermarket
She was quite a shy girl who had a gentle nature and almost always wore a warm open smile on her face and she was popular with staff and customers alike.
Nerissa was a very slim and attractive girl with beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her brown eyes.
In her ancestry she had Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and had no family ties with either country or even in Britain for that matter.
She was the only child of parent who themselves were only children and both of them were gone now.
So she was all on her own and she lived alone in a small one bedroom flat about a mile from where she worked.
You might wonder why a lovely friendly girl with a slim figure blessed with a personality that was equally as lovely as her smile, living alone in a dingy one bedroom flat.
It was certainly something she often wondered.
She lived in a small block of flats called Gladstone Court in Flat 2b.
Her next door neighbour in flat 2a was 32 year old Harry Devonshire, he though had the luxury of a larger two bedroom flat in which to live alone in, courtesy of a failed relationship some eight years earlier.
Unlike Nerissa his heritage was strictly British and he did have living family, two brothers in fact, unfortunately they were both living in Australia so he hadn’t seen either of them for over 5 years.
Harry also worked at Stephenson’s where he was the warehouse manager.

Nerissa and Harry were best friends and did everything together, if either of them was invited anywhere the other was always their plus one.
Equally if one of them wanted to see a film or try out a new restaurant the other would accompany them, in fact they were so often seen together people assumed they were a couple.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that they loved each other but their relationship was strictly platonic and their friendship had been since forever and they were close almost to the point of symbiosis.
Coworkers at the store used to think their relationship was almost comic, when they seemed to know what the other was thinking and even finished each other’s sentences, Harry and Nerissa just got each other and their thoughts and desires remained quite esoteric.

(Part 02)

Harry and Nerissa’s all-consuming purpose in life, their primary objective, their ultimate goal, was finding life partners, in particularly a serious romantic relationship, soul mates if possible.
But their frantic search for love remained fruitless, though not for the want of trying.
They tried online dating, blind dates set up by friends or colleagues, they frequented clubs, virtually every pub in Purplemere and a number outside of it and out of sheer desperation, speed dating.
But all their efforts were to no avail and as a result of their considerable efforts they had both kissed more than their fair share of frogs along the way and neither of them knew why they hadn’t struck gold, in fact they couldn’t explain their lack of success.
Nerissa couldn’t understand why a good looking, gentle and kind man like Harry was unattached and he couldn’t fathom why on earth a gorgeous woman like her was still single, or why suitors weren’t cued around the block to ask her out.
But regardless of their continual failure the search for love went on.

On one particularly bitterly cold Friday night towards the end of October they were walking home from work but Nerissa was being unusually quiet as Harry prattled on endlessly about the arrival of the first of the Christmas stock into the warehouse.
“I might have to cancel Christmas this year” she said completely out of the blue
“Why?” Harry asked
“My rents gone up again” she said “and I’ve just got my Gas and Electric bills”
“Well look on the bright side” he said trying to cheer her up “You might have found Mr. Right by Christmas”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to put looking for him on hold as well” Nerissa said sadly as they arrived at the front doors of the flats “And I’ll have to break into my savings just to get through the winter”
Harry didn’t know what to say to that and they walked upstairs in silence and when they got to their floor he said
“Right you go and get changed and I’ll get the supper on”
“I think I’m just going to have a bath and get an early night” she replied
“Are you sure?” Harry asked “Well at least come in and have a glass of wine and we can talk it through”
“That’s kind of you but yes I’m sure babe” She insisted “I’ll probably be fine after a good night’s sleep”
“Ok Hon” Harry said and kissed her cheek “I’ll see you in the morning then”

Nerissa stepped inside and closed the door behind her and took off her coat and shoes but once she was in her slippers she decided to skip the bath and went straight to bed instead where she cried herself to sleep.
And while Nerissa sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow Harry had already decided to forgo supper and opened a bottle of red wine instead and by the time he was draining the last drop from his glass and the bottle was empty, he had thought of the solution to Nerissa’s financial problems.

(Part 03)

The next morning he was up very early, and considerably brighter than he should have been after polishing off a bottle of Chianti on his own.
He showered and shaved and then he went out, his first port of call was Addison’s bakery in Convent Road where he picked up some fresh croissants and then on to Labuschagne in the high street for two expensive coffee’s.

As he returned to Gladstone Court he could see the lights were on in her flat so when he reached the door to flat 2b, he rang the bell confident that she was up and about.
After a minute or two she opened the door looking like she hadn’t slept in a week.
“Come on sleepy head, croissants and coffee” Harry said ignoring the fact that she looked like death.
“Not for me Harry” she said
“No to croissant?” he said and put his hand to his chest as if he was having a heart attack.
“Not today” she said
“I won’t take no for an answer, so get your dressing gown on and follow me” he ordered her realizing the instant he said it that he sounded really camp.
Reluctantly, though and not with a happy heart, she did as he instructed and followed him into his flat.
“Do we have to do this this morning?” she asked “I really don’t feel up to it today”
“Yes we do need to do it now” Harry said firmly “and when you’ve heard what I have to say you’ll understand why”
“Ok give me some coffee” she said resignedly
After he had poured the Labuschagne coffee’s from the ghastly paper containers and into two proper mugs he sat down and began his spiel.
“I think I have a solution to your problem”
“Oh yes? And what might that be exactly” she said doubtfully
“I think you should give up your flat and move in here with me” he said
“What?” Nerissa asked scarcely believing her ears
“Give up your flat and move into my spare room” he elaborated
“But that’s a ridiculous idea” she said
“Is it?” Harry said
“Well isn’t it? Nerissa asked back
“Look we eat together most nights, we watch TV together most nights” he explained
“Most of the time you only use your flat as a bedroom and dressing room anyway”
“Yes but” she interrupted
“And my spare room is almost as big as your whole flat” Harry added
“Yes I know that, but” she persisted “But what will people think?”
“People won’t think anything” he said “This is the 21st century after all, and as I said you’re here more often than not as it is”
“I don’t know” she said doubtfully
“Look hon, it will be perfect, I’ll continue to pay the rent and we can split the bills for the utilities and food etc.” Harry concluded
“Well I…” she began
“And here’s the clincher, with the money we both save we might finally get that holiday we’ve always talked about” Harry said
“Greece?” she asked
“Greece” he replied
“Ok, you’ve convinced me” she agreed “now give me a croissant”

(Part 04)

Harry and Nerissa had often talked about taking a holiday abroad, not that they ever thought that they’d actually achieve it, it was planned more in a fanciful way, a fantasy really.
The prospect of foreign travel occupied their thoughts quite a lot as neither of them had been abroad before or even owned a passport for that matter.
At first they spoke in general terms about just going away but over the years they had narrowed their search for an actual destination and had finally decided on Greece as the destination for their dream getaway, or more precisely a Greek Island.
The particular Greek island was at the time unspecified as of that moment when Harry invited Nerissa to move in with him, their only stipulation was that it mustn’t have its own airport.
The reasoning for that was that it would limit the number of binge drinking lager louts if the travel itinerary was more complicated.

Nerissa went back to her flat after coffee and croissants and had a little cry once the door closed behind her, but unlike the bitter tears of despair she shed the night before these were tears of happiness.
After a hot shower and a quick tidy around her flat she went back to Harry’s.
So around midmorning they were sat in his flat looking through a stack of old holiday magazines.
When Nerissa asked out of the blue
“Are you sure?”
“Sure about what hon?” he replied
“Me moving in here” she said
“Never more so” Harry said and then he leant over and kissed her forehead before asking
“So have you seen anything you fancy?”
“Andros” she replied instantly and handed him the magazine.
“Well that was very definite” he said and after reading the full article in detail he replied
“Andros it is then”
Harry got up and switched on his laptop and went online, he typed in the address and navigated around until he found the relevant page.
“Here we go” he said and Nerissa moved closer.
“It will be cheaper if we go before the School summer holidays”
“June” Nerissa said “that will give us more time to save, and we’ll get our Easter bank holiday pay in May”
“Ok” he said “two weeks in June”
“Two weeks?” she asked “Are you sure we can we afford two weeks?”
“Absolutely” he said pointing at the figure on the screen.
“Oh” she said as he “Two weeks in June for us then”
He entered his details in the form and picked up his wallet from the table, entered his credit card number and hit the button.
“Booked” he said
“We’re really going then aren’t we?” she said and giggled.
“Yes Indeed” Harry concurred “We are taking our search for love and romance on the road, so to speak”
It was actually more like a train, a plane, a coach, two ferries and a bus but “Romance on the road” was near enough.
“Hooray” Nerissa yelled and danced around.
“Let’s open a bottle to celebrate” Harry suggested
“Let’s not” she said “Lets save the money and open one in Andros instead”
“Damn you’re so sensible” Harry said

(Part 05)

On Monday morning Nerissa gave notice on flat 2b and over the following month she completed the move into Harry’s flat.
This involved helping him clear the spare room and redecorating it to her taste.
They then had to decide what she would take from the old flat and what would have to be dumped or sold.
She and Harry then gave her flat a thorough clean and they were rewarded for all their hard work by the return of her deposit in full which meant she could clear her bills and put the remainder straight into the holiday fund.

As of the 30th of November she was properly moved into the spare room and there was no turning back because the day after a new tenant moved in to her old flat.

As a result of the holiday being booked the pair of them had to become quite boring and put on hold any hopes or expectations of finding Mr. or Miss Right as their focus was one hundred percent on the holiday and saving every penny towards it.

The decorations went up promptly on the first of December which was Nerissa’s first official day as a tenant and that Christmas they had twice the decorations to put up so they went mad.
The run up to Christmas was very profitable for them and added extra money to the holiday coffers as they picked up extra shifts due to the age old tradition of seasonal panic buying by the Purplemere residents.
They also restricted their spending on entertainment by only attending certain festivities, like staff parties and such like, and by cutting back on buying Christmas gifts.
This was a difficult decision as they were both huge Christmas fans and liked to make the most of the season but their new maxim was “needs must”.
What they didn’t stint on during the festive season though were the festive services at St John’s Church from the first Sunday of advent to Christmas morning.

After attending St Johns for the morning service on Christmas day they really pushed the boat out when they got back to the flat, despite having spent a pittance.
They bought the damaged or reduced items wherever possible and used their staff discounts on the rest and as a result they had a sumptuous feast for virtually nothing.
“Well that was very indulgent” Harry said as they sat on the sofa after dinner.
“Very” Nerissa said and burped
They both laughed and Harry patted his stomach and said
“I don’t know why I’m laughing this belly isn’t going to look great with my speedos on the beach”
“Damn I hadn’t thought of that” Nerissa said and patted her own tummy and burped again.
When they exchanged presents they both had novelty chocolates and one main present each.
Harry bought Nerissa a small Gold crucifix and she bought him a Gold tie pin engraved with his name.

(Part 06)

On New Year’s Eve, which was normally a night when they would hit the town hard, they spent that New Year’s Eve at home where they saw in the New Year quietly watching the meagre offerings that the television had to offer and when Big Ben chimed they toasted the New Year with a glass of cheap fizz.
But on New Year’s Day they were fit to work and did a shift and a half at double time which mightily swelled the holiday fund.

The remainder of January was a hard and depressing month, the decorations were packed away and as a result of them having double the amount of decorations up in the first place the flat looked exceptionally bare.
Then the weather turned bitter cold and prolonged periods of snow followed and it was a long 5 weeks until payday.
The January depression was made all the worse by not being able to go out and enjoy themselves but staying in meant no expensive treats like takeaways and alcohol.

However Nerissa came up with a plan to enable them to out without them spending a penny and furthermore her plan would add money to the pot.
They picked up the odd evening and weekend shift at the Worsted Viper Hotel.
Nerissa waited tables in the restaurant and Harry worked behind the bar.
And every hour they worked there meant more money to spend on their holiday or to buy clothes for it and it helped them to get through a difficult month.
When their January pay day did eventually arrive they paid the bills and applied for their passports and totted up their savings.

February brought yet more bitter cold and more snow but no valentine cards save for the joke ones they gave each other, it also brought more shifts at Worsted Viper and more importantly a much quicker payday.

March followed which brought an end to the cold and the snow and the produced the first hints of spring.
It also brought Easter and the long holiday weekend which was another chance for them to earn extra money which would be in their pockets in time for the holiday.
But following the spring like March, April brought nothing but rain, rain and more rain in fact the only bright spot of the month was the arrival of the passports.

May however was a horse of a different colour, the weather was milder and the days were sunnier and they were only one payday away from their holiday and when they had their pay slips it was time to do a final tally.
Harry got his laptop and opened the spreadsheet and entered the figures and totaled up the columns while Nerissa looked on nervously.
“Well?” she asked “is it enough?”
“You tell me” he said and showed her the screen “this is what’s left after the holiday is paid for”
“It can’t be that much” she said “Check it again”
“I’ve checked it three times already”
“Does that mean we can go shopping then?” she asked
“That’s precisely what it means” he replied and two days later Harry and Nerissa went on an all-day shopping trip to Abbottsford including a long leisurely lunch in the Phoenix Shopping Centre.
And a couple of weeks later they packed their cases and they were all set for Andros.

(Part 07)

The first week of June was tortuously long but the day finally arrived and they got a cab to the station at the crack of dawn and got on the first train out of Purplemere.
They were so eager to get on their way that they arrived at the airport two hours earlier than they needed to.
Harry had only been to the airport before to either drop someone off or pick someone up, Nerissa on the other hand had never been to an airport before in her life.
They were so excited about actually going on holiday, and to Greece of all places, that they didn’t care that they had two extra hours to kill, so the pair of them just wandered around and soaked up the vibe.
Harry and Nerissa didn’t care about the crowds or the queue’s the extortionate prices in the cafes, they were determined to enjoy every minute of it as they had no idea when or if they would do it again.

When they eventually got on the plane and stowed their bags they settled themselves into their seats and then both of them sat very quietly and for the first time that day their overwhelming feeling was not of excitement.
Neither Harry nor Nerissa had flown before and as a result the two of them were quite scared but neither of them wanted to mention it to the other.
It was basically a fear of the unexpected rather than of impending doom but as the plane raced down the runway they held hands.
Once the plane was airborne they soon relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the flight to Athens and the nervousness was once again replaced by excitement.

The anxiety did return briefly when the seat belt light went on and the captain began his decent but it was short lived but they did hold hands again just in case and as the wheels touched down Nerissa said
“We have arrived” and then she giggled.
However even once they had landed in Athens and disembarked, they were still a long time and a long way from their final destination.
Firstly they had to wait half an hour for their luggage and after they had claimed their bags then when they had rendezvoused with the holiday rep there was a further 30 minute wait for a coach.
The coach trip then took a similar duration to drive them to the docks where they boarded a ferry.
On board the boat they had to wait a further 40 minutes before the ferry departed on a journey which took two hours to carry them across the Aegean to the Island of Andros in the Cyclades.
To the seasoned travelers among the passengers, the journey would have been very tedious indeed but to Harry and Nerissa being novices at foreign travel, they didn’t mind it a bit as they saw everything about the journey as a great adventure that they would remember forever and on the journey they were rewarded for their patience by the appearance of a pod of porpoises who escorted them across the azure blue Aegean sea.
This bonus they took as a good omen for the holiday ahead.
When the ferry docked on the Island they were met by another holiday rep and another bus that took them on a 20 minute journey to the village of Batsi.

(Part 08)

As Nerissa and Harry walked into their apartments they had travelled for a total of 12 hours door to door but they thought it would all be worth it when they met the person of their dreams.

On the afternoon of their first day they had an orientation meeting with their tour rep who gave them all the spiel about the resort and handed out information on places of interest, transport timetables, day trips and local entertainment.
However the two of them were less interested in the talk than they were in their fellow tourists as they were looking for suitable candidates for romance in the sun.
But as they scanned each and every face in the assembly they noticed that there appeared to be no singles present.
Although Harry and Nerissa both noticed independently they chose to keep their discoveries to themselves.
However over the next 24 hours they both came to the conclusion that they had come to the wrong resort for romance because the other visitors, without exception, were already paired up and presumably loved up.

Over an Al fresco breakfast on the waterfront the next morning, as they sat in the fresh morning air at a quayside café it was Nerissa who broached the subject.
“Have you noticed they’re all couples?” she asked
“Yes I have” he replied
“We’re not going to find them here are we?” she asked
By “Them” she meant their soul mates, their perfect other halves, Mr. or Miss Right.
“I’m afraid not” he agreed
“So what do we do now?” Nerissa asked
“Now we just have fun and enjoy our hard earned holiday” Harry said and so they resigned themselves to the fact that they were not going to find who they were looking for and decided they should just enjoy every minute of their holiday instead, they had after all worked hard enough for it.

With their search for love over, they spent a lot of time on the beach or in the water, or alternatively on a boat and when they weren’t close to the sea they were in the bars and Taverna’s.
So they filled every possible moment of the holiday with fun and laughter, walking along the beach together playing in the waves and having fun, before finding a quiet sheltered spot or a shady tree to siesta under.
They also took day trips to Tinos and the Church of Panagia Evangelistria and visited the monastery of Agia Zoodochos Pighi and to Andros town of course.
Evening entertainments included cocktails at the Koala bar,
Nightcaps at the Paradise Club, Greek dancing, Beach BBQ’s and a Greek night of local cuisine and drink.

But most of all they spent their time in or near the water and one of their favourite spots was a narrow stretch of beach, north of Batsi at Agia Marina with its own beach side Taverna run by a colourful old character called Stavros where they often had lunch.
He was an elderly man with deeply wrinkled skin the colour of tanned leather and when Harry introduced him to Nerissa he said,
“Oh what a lovely name, Nerissa means goddess of the sea you know?”
Harry thought that might make her big headed but Nerissa blushed.
Mind you when Harry watched Nerissa walk out of the water wearing her yellow one piece swimsuit he could see what Stavros meant.

(Part 09)

As the holiday drifted amiable into the second week they continued in the same vein and any casual onlookers could have been forgiven for thinking that Harry and Nerissa were in fact a couple, they behaved like a couple in almost every respect and a happily married couple at that.
Every evening the pair dined together happy in each other’s company but unknown to everyone around them, they slept alone.

One day the beaches on their side of the island was covered in dead jelly fish, each translucent disk was roughly the size of a dinner plate.
Apparently June was the spawning season for jelly fish and having spawned out at sea, they promptly died and drifted in to shore and then two days later drifted back out to sea on the tide never to be seen again.
One afternoon Harry was lying on his stomach on the beach snoozing off his lunch and Nerissa picked up a dead jelly fish from the lapping waves and from a height of four feet, dropped it squarely in the middle of Harry’s back.
“What the hell” he yelled and looked over his shoulder to see Nerissa wearing a pink bikini, almost wetting herself with laughter.
“Oh” he said “I suppose you think that was funny?”
“Oh yes” she confirmed and laughed even harder
“Right that’s it” Harry said scrambling to his feet
Nerissa, still laughing like a drain turned and ran down the beach with Harry hot on her heals holding a jelly fish freshly plucked from the waves.
Her laughter quickly turned to squeals as he chased her and she ran about a hundred yards before she fell over in the lapping water and as she lay on her back in the wet sand.
Harry, with great delight, dropped the jelly fish on her exposed belly.
Nerissa screamed in disgust and it was Harrys turn to laugh.

Later that evening as the sun was setting, the sultry air was heavy with the scent of oregano as they sat on the terrace of the Medusa Taverna accompanied by the familiar symphony of evening birdsong Nerissa said
“It’s been another lovely day”
They had ordered their dinner and were just enjoying an aperitif, the cracking of ice cubes was clearly audible in their Gin and tonics.
“It really has” he said and they chinked glasses

After dinner and the best part of two bottles of wine and a hilarious reliving of the afternoons jelly fish escapades the subject of the conversation took a familiar turn.
“Of course there is one thing that could have made today even better” Nerissa said
“And what’s that?” Harry asked before draining his glass
“Our perfect partners” she replied
“Oh yes, I’d forgotten about that” he said
“Of course it would help if we could recognize them if we saw them”
“Well yes that would help” Nerissa concurred “But I don’t think they’re on the Island anyway”
“If they were I don’t think I would have noticed” Harry said “I’ve been having too much fun”

(Part 10)

As they sat on the terrace of the Medusa Taverna after having had a lovely meal and perhaps too much wine Harry thought Nerissa looked lovely.
And on that night he was particularly pleased to see she was wearing the gold crucifix he had bought her for Christmas.
After a short while the perennial subject of their perfect partners had come up again in their conversation.
“Ok then” he said “do you have pen?”
He already knew the answer, Nerissa always had at least three pens in her bag.
She fished in her bag and produced one.
“So what is your ideal?” he asked
“What do you mean?” she replied with a puzzled expression
“What would you want in a partner?” he elaborated
“Tell me what qualities you are looking for and we’ll make a check list”
“Oh I see, ok” she said “Well the usual I suppose”
“Let’s write them down then” Harry said and using a napkin he headed the list “The perfect other half”
“Someone I can trust” she said
“Dependable” he wrote followed by “trustworthy”
“Someone who shares my values and my faith” she added
Harry wrote “Christian” and “Moral compass”
“Someone who makes me laugh and laughs with me” Nerissa said
“Good sense of humour” he wrote
“Someone who loves me, and will cherish me” she said
He wrote “Caring” and “Romantic”
“Someone who will be there for me” she said “whenever I need them”
“A friend” he put
“Someone who listens to me and understands me” she added
“And who values me”
Harry thought for a moment before writing
“A confidant, kindred spirit” and for good measure “Open and honest”
“Someone I can grow old with” she said “who will want to grow old with me”
Harry wrote “Soul mate”
Nerissa was silent for a moment as she gave it some more thought and then said
“That will do I think”
Harry took another drink and then read down the list and his brow furrowed.
He read each item and mused over it, added the occasional word to it, and muttered under his breath as he studied it and in the end, after what seemed to Nerissa like an age, he nodded his assent.
“Are you ok?” she asked with concern
“I agree with every single one of those” he said
“Good” she replied
“And furthermore I know the person who has all of those qualities and more” he added
“Really?” she said open mouthed
“Who?”
“You Nerissa” Harry said
“What?” she asked
“It’s you” he said “you tick every single box on this list, you are my perfect other half”
“Don’t be daft” she said
He didn’t say anymore but handed her the napkin.
Nerissa took it from him, and started reading down the list of her suggestions and his additions and was very thoughtful for a few moments and then she went down the list in front of her again.
“You’re right” she said finally “you are the perfect other half of me”
Knowing smiles were exchanged and then they sat in silence as a confused turmoil raged inside them and thoughts raced in and out of focus.

(Part 11)

Harry and Nerissa sat in silence on the terrace of the Medusa Taverna after the startling revelation that they were each other’s “perfect other half” and as they sat in silence a confused turmoil raged inside them and thoughts raced in and out of focus.
“More wine sir?” the waiter asked breaking in on their silent deliberations.
“Absolutely” Nerissa said and returned to her thoughts.
Both of them shared the same thoughts and were afraid, afraid to take a chance, afraid of being wrong, afraid of getting hurt but most of all afraid of losing their best friend in the whole world.
The wine came and they drank in silence as they continued their internal struggle, until in a moment of perfect clarity Nerissa looked at Harry and smiled as it dawned on her that they had come to Andros looking for love but the romance they had searched for wasn’t on the island at all, they had brought it with them.
And when Harry saw her smiling countenance he was immediately entranced and all his doubts melted away and the deep passion for her, that he had always harbored subconsciously, stirred within him and rose to the surface.
Her inner beauty exposed Harry reached his hand across the table and Nerissa took it.
“All this time I was looking for Miss Right and she was there right under my nose”
Harry mused
“Living next door” She added
“Living in my spare room even” Harry corrected her
It was a miracle finding their heart’s desire so close at hand.
“How could we have been so blind?” Nerissa asked as she caressed his hand.
“Love is blind” Harry replied
“Yes” she agreed “yes it is”
Neither of them could comprehend how it was possible that they were both so short sighted.
He had always thought she was lovely but now Harry’s feelings for her were of love for his soul mate who lived in his spare room.

On the moonlight walk back to the apartment’s they were holding hands and drinking in the heady atmosphere of the night, not wishing to forget a single second of it and when they reached her door they kissed for the first time and it was a kiss that made the hairs stand up on the back of their necks and their skin tingle from head to toe.
“That was a first kiss to remember” Nerissa said and giggled
“Let’s try number two” Harry suggested and she obliged
“Wow” Nerissa said after kiss number two
“I think we should sit down for a minute”
“I think so too” Harry said
Nerissa walked a few feet and sat on the wall and Harry sat next her, she immediately leant in to him and rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.
So they sat there quietly in the moonlight, their hearts filled with a new found love and their minds awash with previously undreamt of possibilities.
Nerissa kissed Harry once more and it was the equal of its predecessors.
But as much as they wanted each other in that moment they resisted the desire until their minds were clear and their desires not fueled by cheap wine and Gin and tonics.
So they reluctantly said goodnight and slept alone.
Though neither of them actually slept.

(Part 12)

Harry and Nerissa were both up and about early the next morning all though in truth they hadn’t really gone to bed.
However both of them had made independent decisions on their futures.
The quandary was, had they both made the same one.
There were three possibilities, and two of which could cost them their friendship forever.
Harry was sitting on the terrace drinking his coffee when Nerissa appeared looking beautiful.
Harry smiled and stood up to greet her but remained frozen to the spot so she returned his smile and said
“Hello soul mate”
The relief Harry felt in that moment was palpable.
He found he was able to move again and he stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms and said.
“Hello, my perfect other half”
And then he kissed her as he had the night before, without the aid of alcohol, and the feeling was just the same, no that wasn’t true it was actually better.

Their complete and utter surrender to each other came later that afternoon when they made love for the very first time when loves consummated passions reached the ecstatic heights of fulfillment.

To the untrained eye the remainder of the holiday appeared to go much the same way as the days before their epiphany.
Harry and Nerissa still appeared as if they were a couple, as they behaved like a couple, a happily married couple.
Every evening the pair dined together happy in each other’s company but now unknown to everyone they did sleep together.
Harry and Nerissa had gone to the Cyclades in search of love and romance and it turned out they had actually taken it with them.

All too soon they were on the ferry heading away from the northern most isle in the Cyclades, and looked back at Andros, bathing in warm sunshine, the hills and valleys, the groves and vines and painting the hillsides in differing hues.
They would miss the place and its warm hearted people, the scent of herbs on the warm night air, the culture, the food, the warm sun, the blue sea and the golden sand and the soft sea breezes.
But most of all they would miss it because it would forever be the place where they fell in love.
Harry and Nerissa stood at the stern of the ferry, for one last look across the Aegean as Andros faded from view.
“Will we ever come back” Nerissa asked with a tear in her eye
“Oh yes definitely” Harry replied “On our honeymoon”
And in response Nerissa turned and she kissed him.